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Major · Computer & Information Sciences

A design-leaning bachelor’s for web and multimedia roles

Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design (CIP 11.0801) is a bachelor’s-dominant program that prepares students to design, build, and publish web and multimedia products. About 2,356 students complete it across 307 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning around $65,856 — strong for a creative-tech credential, with web designer and developer tracks ranging $61K-$98K.

Schools offering
307
Annual completions
2,356
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$57k

About this major

Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design (CIP 11.0801) is a bachelor’s-dominant program in the computer and information sciences family that prepares students to design, build, and publish content on the web and across digital platforms. The CIP definition lists HTML, CSS, JavaScript, graphics applications, and other authoring tools alongside web standards, user interfaces, vector tools, e-commerce tools, search engines, and emerging web technologies. Most programs split between a design-tilted curriculum (UX research, visual design, motion graphics) and a development-tilted curriculum (front-end frameworks, content management, web performance), so the named program at any school can look quite different.

The major fits students with both visual design instincts and a tolerance for code. It rewards portfolio-building from year one, comfort with ambiguity in design briefs, and a willingness to work across the designer-developer boundary. Day-to-day work in the field involves wireframes, prototypes, accessibility reviews, user research, and shipping production code or content alongside engineering teams.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 2,356 students complete this CIP across 307 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $65,856 five years out — meaningfully above the associate’s figure of $44,323. The packet names five BLS occupations, and the higher-paying tracked outcomes — Web and digital interface designers at $98,090 (7% growth), Web developers at $90,930 (7.5% growth), and Special effects artists and animators at $99,800 — are bachelor’s-level. Graphic designers ($61,300) and career/technical postsecondary teachers ($61,490) anchor the lower end. The top producers — School of Visual Arts (182) and The New School (160) — signal how strongly the art-school portfolio model dominates this CIP.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Graphic designers $61k +2.1% Bachelor's degree
Web and digital interface designers $98k +7.0% Bachelor's degree
Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary $61k +0.7% Bachelor's degree
Web developers $91k +7.5% Bachelor's degree
Special effects artists and animators $100k +1.6% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$57k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$44k

Bachelor's

$66k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you have visual design instincts and aren’t afraid of code, you’re willing to build a portfolio from year one rather than coast on grades, and you’re drawn to roles that sit between engineering and design — interaction design, front-end development, prototyping. The bachelor’s pays $65,856 five years out and the higher tracked tracks (web/digital interface design at $98,090, web development at $90,930) grow 7%-7.5%. The packet shows that art-school portfolio programs (SVA, The New School) dominate the top of the field — a portfolio-driven model where the work matters more than the school’s research credentials.

Reasons to pause: AI tooling has compressed production cycles for basic websites and graphic work, putting wage pressure on speed-of-execution roles; the curriculum that ages best emphasizes UX research, accessibility, and engineering-team integration rather than static visual design. If you’re aiming at pure software engineering, a CS degree positions better; if you’re aiming at brand or print design, a Graphic Design (CIP 50.0409) bachelor’s focuses more on portfolio depth. School of Visual Arts and The New School are expensive — compare net price against state-school programs at BYU-Idaho or UMGC, where the same skills can be built for a fraction of the cost.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
School of Visual Arts New York, NY 0 182 182
The New School New York, NY 0 160 160
Eastern Gateway Community College Steubenville, OH 65 0 65
University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD 0 53 53
New York University New York, NY 0 52 52
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 0 52 52
Atlantic University Guaynabo, PR 0 50 50
Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID 5 41 46
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY 40 0 40
Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA 0 38 38
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Graphic Design

7,841 completions/yr

Computer Programming/Programmer, General

5,205 completions/yr

Design and Visual Communications, General

4,248 completions/yr

Digital Arts

3,323 completions/yr

Computer Graphics

1,936 completions/yr

Computer Software and Media Applications, Other

937 completions/yr

Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation

717 completions/yr

Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration

573 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this major actually cover?
Coursework spans HTML, CSS, JavaScript, web standards, accessibility, vector and raster graphics, UX research, prototyping, content management systems, and emerging web technologies. The CIP definition adds e-commerce tools, search engines, and interactive multimedia. Most programs split between a design-leaning curriculum (UX, visual design, motion) and a development-leaning curriculum (front-end JavaScript frameworks, headless CMS, web performance). Look at the school’s program catalog to identify which tilt it takes.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
The packet names five BLS occupations: Web and digital interface designers ($98,090, 7% growth, bachelor’s), Web developers ($90,930, 7.5% growth, bachelor’s), Special effects artists and animators ($99,800, 1.6% growth, bachelor’s), Graphic designers ($61,300, 2.1% growth, bachelor’s), and Career/technical education postsecondary teachers ($61,490, bachelor’s). The high-end roles (web/digital interface, web developer) pay near $90K-$98K and are the strongest tracked outcomes.
How is AI changing this field?
Honest answer: the field is shifting. AI tooling has accelerated production of basic websites, image assets, and boilerplate code. Roles that compete on speed-of-execution for simple work face price pressure; roles that compete on user research, accessibility, complex interaction design, and brand-system thinking are still in demand. The bachelor’s curriculum that emphasizes UX research, accessibility, and integration with engineering teams ages better than one that emphasizes static visual design alone.
Is the bachelor’s worth it over the associate’s?
The packet shows associate’s grads at $44,323 versus $65,856 for bachelor’s — a roughly $21,500 gap. The bachelor’s is the credential the higher-paying tracked occupations (web designers, web developers, animators) list as typical entry. The associate’s can land you junior production roles or a contractor track but caps lower. If you’re aiming at the $90K+ tracks, plan on the four-year credential.
How does this compare to a Computer Science (CS) or Graphic Design degree?
Computer Science is the deeper engineering credential — better positioning for software engineering roles, but less design training. Graphic Design (CIP 50.0409) is the design-pure credential — stronger portfolio focus, but typically less front-end engineering. Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design sits between them — strong for hybrid designer-developer roles but weaker for pure software engineering or pure visual-design positions. The hybrid is real but employers also hire pure CS or pure design grads for the same roles.
Where are the strongest programs concentrated?
School of Visual Arts (182 completions) and The New School (160) — both NYC art-and-design schools — lead by a wide margin. Eastern Gateway CC (65 associate’s), University of Maryland Global Campus (53), NYU (52), and University of Arizona (52) round out the top tier. The mix is heavier on art-school-style portfolio programs than on traditional CS departments. Brigham Young-Idaho (46) and CUNY BMCC (40) anchor the lower-cost public side.