Cheapest degree in graphic design?

[blablablox]

I have a friend who is very interested in doing an associate or bachelor's degree in graphic design online. I've looked on the internet for days, but it is very difficult to find anything in this field.
What is the cheapest or competency based program available nowadays in graphic design?

[bjcheung77]

The cheap, easy, fast associates would be the Pierpont BOG AAS, you can try viewing what emphasis is closest to the one the friend is looking for. I would shoot for Info Systems emphasis, or if possible, the one mentioned in the WIKI here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...f_Emphasis

[Jonathan Whatley]

In-field options that are probably no more than mid-range in price, and at least some friendly to alt-credit (for gen eds and electives) include SNHU, Bellevue University, Upper Iowa University, Rasmussen University, and Liberty University.

[ss20ts]

There isn't a CBE program for graphic design. SNHU or Bellevue is probably the cheapest they'll find. Have you looked into a program at a local community college?

[bjcheung77]

On the WIKI link I earlier provided, there is an option for emphasis in Graphics Technology, you may want to try going for that instead of Info Systems I mentioned. You can then try laddering up to the UMPI BAS and get a minor in MIS or something similar. You want to work on the balanced mix/match trifecta of getting those certs (Google), degrees, experience to make your application for future jobs stronger...

[blablablox]

On the WIKI link I earlier provided, there is an option for emphasis in Graphics Technology, you may want to try going for that instead of Info Systems I mentioned.  You can then try laddering up to the UMPI BAS and get a minor in MIS or something similar.  You want to work on the balanced mix/match trifecta of getting those certs (Google), degrees, experience to make your application for future jobs stronger...

Thanks for the suggestion, my friend would indeed be interested in the graphics technology option.
after your post I've done some research about this Pierpont BOG AAS, So basically you need 60 credits to be admitted, 1 graded credit, and 59 ungraded credits from ace courses, right? But there is something I don't understand still, do all of these 60 credit have to be from the bog general education courses in this link? https://catalog.pierpont.edu/preview_pro...turnto=203

or can it be 60 credits from the emphasis curriculum here? https://catalog.pierpont.edu/preview_pro...urnto=1016# 
Edit: I think I understand more now, the 60 credit aren't for being admitted but for graduation with a BOG degree.

Also, it doesnt appear to be a lot of sophia courses that can tranfer for the graphics technology emphasis according to this link https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...Technology

or maybe the list isn't just exhaustive ?

An other question, could there be some options available other than the us like in the uk?

There isn't a CBE program for graphic design. SNHU or Bellevue is probably the cheapest they'll find. Have you looked into a program at a local community college?

My friend isnt a us citizen, so a local community isn't an option, even in our country it's very expensive.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Graphic design is fairly labor-intensive and requires fairly specialized skills to teach and assess well. It's not easy to be a distance learning provider let alone a low-cost provider in the field. Meanwhile, I suspect the student market interested in graphic design skews toward traditional age and early-career students, in contrast to the older-skewing mid-career market generally targeted by online degree completion programs.

The Art Institutes chain was based on on-campus and online programs in graphic design and related. It closed entirely in 2023. Hodges University announced a subscription-priced, competency-based undergraduate program in digital design and graphics circa 2014. It closed its CBE program circa 2018. The university is currently closing entirely. Independence University seemed to be pivoting in the 2010s to emphasizing its online undergraduate program in graphic arts. The university closed entirely in 2021.

Tough business!

There's a tier of schools that appear to offer credibly taught online degrees in graphic design or related but are expensive, and the ROI is debatable, including Academy of Art University, SCAD, and Full Sail University. (Full Sail is NA not RA, and its accreditation seems to be going through rough waters related to employment outcomes of some programs.)

Lindenwood University, not the lowest cost but seems solid, from a B&M comprehensive university.

Goddard College, not the lowest cost, probably leans more toward art school experience than graphic design school experience, but it has run a low-residency BFA for decades that is currently fully online without residencies.

In adjacent fields like marketing and communication, some programs will have more space than others in which graphic work, such as "ad creative," can be part of the curriculum.

---

Penn Foster College has an online AS in Graphic Design. Each semester (7 months) is $1,699; the first semester is currently discounted. The AS in Graphic Design is accredited by the DEAC. Penn Foster College is NA not RA. This will limit what schools will accept its credits towards a bachelor's degree, and might limit its acceptance in some contexts outside the US, such as qualifying to immigrate to a country. The former can be mitigated somewhat using Degreeforum's institutional memory about which RA schools online are friendly to NA credit.

(The Penn Foster system also offers an undergraduate certificate and a career diploma in graphic design, but these are not listed under the scope of Penn Foster College's college-level national accreditation from the DEAC. This casts great doubt on whether credits within them would be accepted in transfer even at an NA-friendly school.)

[LevelUP]

SNHU is your best bet.

SNHU Graphic Design Degree Plan
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/SN...egree_Plan

[Imbanewbie]

Yes I was going to recommend SNHU too. $330 per credits for bachelor degree. Pretty affordable.

[indigoshuffle]

Graphic design is fairly labor-intensive and requires fairly specialized skills to teach and assess well. It's not easy to be a distance learning provider let alone a low-cost provider in the field. Meanwhile, I suspect the student market interested in graphic design skews toward traditional age and early-career students, in contrast to the older-skewing mid-career market generally targeted by online degree completion programs.

The Art Institutes chain was based on on-campus and online programs in graphic design and related. It closed entirely in 2023. Hodges University announced a subscription-priced, competency-based undergraduate program in digital design and graphics circa 2014. It closed its CBE program circa 2018. The university is currently closing entirely. Independence University seemed to be pivoting in the 2010s to emphasizing its online undergraduate program in graphic arts. The university closed entirely in 2021.

Tough business!

There's a tier of schools that appear to offer credibly taught online degrees in graphic design or related but are expensive, and the ROI is debatable, including Academy of Art University, SCAD, and Full Sail University. (Full Sail is NA not RA, and its accreditation seems to be going through rough waters related to employment outcomes of some programs.)

Lindenwood University, not the lowest cost but seems solid, from a B&M comprehensive university.

Goddard College, not the lowest cost, probably leans more toward art school experience than graphic design school experience, but it has run a low-residency BFA for decades that is currently fully online without residencies.

In adjacent fields like marketing and communication, some programs will have more space than others in which graphic work, such as "ad creative," can be part of the curriculum.

---

Penn Foster College has an online AS in Graphic Design. Each semester (7 months) is $1,699; the first semester is currently discounted. The AS in Graphic Design is accredited by the DEAC. Penn Foster College is NA not RA. This will limit what schools will accept its credits towards a bachelor's degree, and might limit its acceptance in some contexts outside the US, such as qualifying to immigrate to a country. The former can be mitigated somewhat using Degreeforum's institutional memory about which RA schools online are friendly to NA credit.

(The Penn Foster system also offers an undergraduate certificate and a career diploma in graphic design, but these are not listed under the scope of Penn Foster College's college-level national accreditation from the DEAC. This casts great doubt on whether credits within them would be accepted in transfer even at an NA-friendly school.)

Short answer: SNHU is going to be his/her best bet. 


Your post is on the money and brought back nightmares, especially since I have a BFA degree with a minor in graphic design.  Art and graphic design degrees have a poor ROI, and due to the nature of how you learn to draw, paint, design, and think visually; the classes are extremely labor intensive and time consuming and don't lend themselves to be quickly completed. What about UX/UI design?