undergradly.
Major · Visual & Performing Arts

Visual problem-solving across every medium, channel, and format

Design and Visual Communications, General trains students to shape ideas into effective visual form — for print, digital, product, and environmental contexts — with an emphasis on applied communication rather than fine art expression. About 4,248 degrees are awarded annually across 254 colleges, with programs available at both the associate's and bachelor's level.

Schools offering
254
Annual completions
4,248
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$49k

About this major

Design and Visual Communications, General sits at the applied end of the visual arts curriculum. The major's CIP definition captures its scope: it prepares students in the principles and techniques for effectively communicating ideas and information — in digital and other formats — to business and consumer audiences, and may include packaging and product presentation. Programs under this classification can span typography, color theory, layout, digital image-making, branding, packaging design, user interface fundamentals, and production for print and screen. Because it is the general classification rather than a specialized track, individual programs vary considerably in their emphasis and depth across those areas.

The field is commercially oriented by design. Students are expected to develop the ability to serve communication objectives set by clients or employers, not to express unconstrained personal creative vision. That distinction matters for fit: the curriculum rewards problem-solvers who can work within briefs and constraints, and the portfolio — usually developed incrementally across projects — is the primary professional credential on graduation.

Career outcomes span a genuine range. Graphic designers are the most common early destination, with a median wage of $61,300 and 2.1% projected job growth. Web and digital interface designers earn a $98,090 median with 7% projected growth — the strongest signal in the field's career table. Commercial and industrial designers sit at $79,450 with 3.2% growth. About 4,248 degrees in this classification are awarded annually across 254 colleges — making it a moderately sized major that is roughly half the scale of Graphic Design (50.0409), which awards 7,841 degrees per year across a larger base of programs.

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
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary $80k +1.7% Master's degree
Set and exhibit designers $66k +2.3% Bachelor's degree
Commercial and industrial designers $79k +3.2% Bachelor's degree
Designers, all other $66k +2.0% 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

$49k

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

Associate's

$37k

Bachelor's

$53k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you're drawn to the problem of visual communication — figuring out how to make an idea land clearly and persuasively for a specific audience — rather than to art for its own sake. The curriculum rewards students who enjoy translating a brief or a business objective into a visual system, and who are willing to iterate under feedback and constraints. If you already spend time building things in design software for personal projects, portfolios, or side work, that instinct tends to predict strong engagement with the program. The earnings data makes a clear case for committing to the bachelor's track: five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers run about $53,189 versus $37,186 for associate's completers, and the higher-ceiling destinations — web and digital interface design at $98,090, commercial and industrial design at $79,450 — reliably list a bachelor's as the typical entry credential.

Think twice if your primary interest is fine art or personal creative expression rather than applied commercial work — the brief-driven, client-oriented structure of design education can feel constraining if your goal is artistic development rather than communication effectiveness. Think twice also if you're deciding between this general program and a named Graphic Design or Digital Arts program at the same school: the more specialized track will typically be more employer-legible and more tightly aligned with specific career pipelines. And if you're drawn to the design side of digital products but more interested in the engineering and interaction layer than the visual layer, a web design or human-computer interaction major may fit the day-to-day work more closely than a visual communications curriculum.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Design and Visual Communications, General

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Utah Valley University Orem, UT 276 140 416
University of California-Davis Davis, CA 0 249 249
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA 0 106 106
Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN 106 0 106
CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY 0 94 94
Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH 0 86 86
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 0 80 80
Texas State University San Marcos, TX 0 75 75
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH 0 68 68
University of North Texas Denton, TX 0 66 66
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Graphic Design

7,841 completions/yr

Interior Design

4,272 completions/yr

Digital Arts

3,323 completions/yr

Visual and Performing Arts, General

2,952 completions/yr

Illustration

2,816 completions/yr

Fashion/Apparel Design

2,778 completions/yr

Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

2,356 completions/yr

Commercial and Advertising Art

1,775 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Design and Visual Communications, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Design and Visual Communications, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Design and Visual Communications majors actually study?
The curriculum covers the general principles and applied techniques for communicating ideas visually across digital and physical formats. Coursework typically spans typography, color theory, layout, image-making, and design software, and may include packaging, branding, print production, and user interface work. Because this is the general CIP (50.0401) rather than a specialized track like Graphic Design or Interior Design, programs vary considerably in emphasis — some lean toward commercial print and branding, others toward digital and interactive work. Students should review the specific track emphasis of individual programs carefully.
What jobs do graduates typically land after this major?
The career landscape fans out across six tracked occupations. Graphic designers are the most common destination, with a $61,300 median wage and 2.1% projected growth. Web and digital interface designers post a $98,090 median with 7% growth — the strongest near-term signal in the field. Commercial and industrial designers earn a $79,450 median with 3.2% growth. Set and exhibit designers sit at $66,280 with 2.3% growth. Art, drama, and music teachers at the postsecondary level reach a $80,190 median, but that path typically requires a master's degree beyond the bachelor's.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough?
Degree level has measurable impact in this field. Bachelor's completers in this major report five-year median earnings of about $53,189, while associate's completers report roughly $37,186 — a gap of about $16,000. The higher-ceiling roles — web and digital interface designers at $98,090 and commercial and industrial designers at $79,450 — both list a bachelor's as typical entry-level education. An associate's can be a valid entry point to production and print roles, but if the target is digital product design, branding, or creative direction, the four-year credential is the more practical path.
How does this major compare to Graphic Design or other specific design programs?
Design and Visual Communications, General (50.0401) is the umbrella CIP; Graphic Design (50.0409) is its most popular sibling, producing 7,841 completions annually versus 4,248 here. If you know your focus is commercial visual identity and print or screen media, Graphic Design is more commonly offered, more employer-legible, and likely more tightly structured. This general major can be the right call when you want breadth across design disciplines — packaging, environmental design, digital — or when a specific school doesn't offer a named Graphic Design program but offers this broader track. Related options include Interior Design (4,272 completions), Digital Arts (3,323), and Illustration (2,816).
What's the realistic earnings picture five years out?
The five-year median across degree levels runs about $49,297 for this major. Bachelor's completers specifically land at roughly $53,189, while associate's completers are closer to $37,186. The graphic designer occupation — the most common destination — posts a $61,300 median wage. The more significant upside sits in adjacent roles: web and digital interface designers earn a $98,090 median with 7% projected growth, and commercial and industrial designers reach $79,450 with 3.2% growth. Moving into those roles typically requires developing specialized digital skills beyond the general curriculum.
Is the job market competitive for design graduates?
The core graphic design occupation projects 2.1% job growth — below the national average of roughly 4-5%. That reflects a consistent supply-demand imbalance at the entry level: a large number of credentialed graduates compete for a relatively stable number of in-house studio and agency positions. The clearest mitigation is specialization toward higher-demand roles: web and digital interface design projects 7% growth, and commercial and industrial design projects 3.2%. Graduates who develop strong digital product, UX, or brand strategy skills during or after their degree tend to compete in more favorable markets.