So graduation is at the end of this month, and I’m kind of freaking out. I applied to a local community college and plan on studying their for two years, then possibly transferring elsewhere. When filling out my application, I did not know what kind of major I planned on acquiring, nor what future career I wanted to pursue. In the end I decided to enter college in the hopes of completing a “General Studies” program. This was in October of 2015.
In the past couple of months I’ve reignited my passion for art, and now all of a sudden I want to pursue a career in Graphic Design. I want to merge my art skills with entrepreneurship, though my future still seems a bit cloudy. I talked to my mom and she suggested going to school to major in graphic design. Then if I later decide to pursue a job in business that relates to Graphic Design, that I could go back and take a couple business classes. What should I do?
I think your choice of school will be very important in pursuing your goal of merging graphic design/business.
I would suggest finding a design program with a professional/entrepreneurial slant or find a university with a great design and business program. It seems like a hassle to return to school later no? Taking classes in both disciplines at the same time will open up opportunities for you, undoubtedly.
The first school that pops into my mind would be Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Great design program, and if you look at each student’s portfolio, it’s very focused on solving real-world problems. The students and the program definitely have an innovative/entrepreneurial drive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPQ2umGZ31Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT6ZR-Zb12E
They also have a great business school. I don’t think you can do an interdisciplinary major in the School of Business, but you could definitely minor in business.
Their design program is extremely selective however. But no matter where you want to apply, be sure to build a strong portfolio with lots of design using different techniques and in different mediums. For transfers, schools tend to want to see more developed skills. For example, many schools will accept a general art portfolio for freshmen admissions into a design program. But for transfers, they want more targeted design portfolios. But be sure to check each school’s individual requirements.
One con to CMU is that they tend to treat transfer students as freshmen, so that might not work out. But I don’t think it’s black and white. There may be exceptions where you could transfer in as a sophomore or junior.
Other design programs with more a more professional focus include ArtCenter off the top of my head (all work no play, lol), RISD (their graduates can be very successful), but I imagine it would be hard to take business classes there. Other universities with good design programs include University of Cincinnati, Umich, USC, and SJSU. I hope this helped!