Selecting the school that offers the best graphic design program for students entering the field is an important consideration that each student must make. Oregon has more than 95 college and universities, which means that selecting the one that best matches your needs and interests can be a little overwhelming. There are no rules to the decision-making process, but a great starting place is to research independent school rankings from trusted sources.

Best Graphic Design Programs in Oregon for 2019

Top 10 Graphic Design Programs in Oregon

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.
  • Portland State University
  • Oregon State University
  • Pacific Northwest College of Art
  • George Fox University
  • Western Oregon University

Our Rankings

The field of graphic design is considered a branch of other visual communication fields – graphic designers use a combination of artistic and technical methods to assemble and manipulate words, symbols, and images in order to produce a visual representation of ideas print and digital channels. Graphic designers use their skills in a variety of fields, including publishing, advertising, entertainment, and education. As such, graphic design programs integrate practice, theory, and inquiry while refining students’ vision, critical thinking, and communication skills. The colleges we’ve listed below have proven their excellence in academics and continue to offer the very best in art education.

Oregon Employment & Jobs Outlook

Students who complete a graphic design major graduate with a ability that is very much in demand by employers in many fields. Often however, these new graduates face strong competition for graphic design jobs due to the many talented individuals that apply for graphic design position. Current data from Careerinfonet.org indicates that the employment outlook for the field is definitely favorable. Graphic design employment in the state of Oregon is very favorable and poised to increase by 19% or by 120 jobs every year from now until 2020. These new jobs are classified by Careerinfonet.org as ‘new growth’.