Choosing the best school is an important first step for students entering the field of graphic design. With more than 134 colleges and universities in Colorado, many offering accredited graphic design programs, picking the school that matches your needs and interests can be a daunting task. Although there’s no absolute right or wrong way to make a decision about which school is right for you, you can start by reviewing school rankings and guides to help you find the right fit.

Best Graphic Design Programs in Colorado for 2019

Top 10 Graphic Design Programs in Colorado

School rankings are based on data published by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a system of surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education. Key factors include a commitment to high academic standards, return on investment, faculty ratings, and long-term employment statistics that track graduate success.
  • Colorado State University
  • University of Denver
  • Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
  • Colorado Mesa University
  • Fort Lewis College
  • Adams State University
  • University of Colorado, Denver
  • Regis University
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • Western State Colorado University

Our Rankings

Graphic design is the field of art, space, and typography used to communicate a purposeful message. This type of communication is used by publishers, manufacturers, and professionals to communicate their brand and message to the public. Graphic designers work in-house, freelance, or on teams to understand a company’s vision and translate it to visual media. Because graphic designers use their artistic and technical skills to convey messages, the best college courses for graphic design connect practical and theoretical concepts in order to encourage students’ creative thinking, inventiveness, and communication skills. Below, we’ve listed colleges that have a proven history of excellence and that continue to offer the very best in art and design programming.

Colorado Employment & Jobs Outlook

Students who graduate with a major in graphic design hone specialized skills that make them extremely marketable to employers in a variety of industries. However, there is often serious competition for available jobs due to the many talented individuals who are also seeking careers in the same field. Employment trends published by Careerinfonet.org indicate that trends for graphic designers in Colorado are increasing by 15% over the next few years, with projected annual increases in job openings to jump to 230 per year from now until 2020.