Graduate Degrees in Design
What better way to enhance your web design skills than in online college. From fine arts to media design, you can hone your artistic skills in an online master’s degree program. If you are interested in web design and media art, you should consider the Master of Fine Arts Media Design degree program. If you would prefer to teach art education, then a Master of Arts in Art Education may be a good fit.
In the web design field, companies depend on strong visual art to overshadow their competition. Web design graduates, who hold a master’s degree, will be prepared and eligible to enter the fast-paced field of media design. The career opportunities in media design vary, depending on the work you would like to do. As a web or media designer, you will create visual art that effectively communicates a company’s message, in addition to brand development and working with clients. There are also multimedia artists, who practice media art in their everyday work, as they work primarily in motion picture and video industries, advertising and computer systems design services. They often draw images by hand and use computers to create pictures that form animated images or special effects seen in movies, television programs and computer games. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, salaried multimedia artists made about $51,350 in annual median earnings in 2006. Graduate degree holders could also work in advertising, newspapers, periodicals, software publishing and book publishing as graphic artists who work on layouts, designs and illustrations. Others may prefer working on computer systems design or motion picture and video game industries. The career avenues and opportunities are endless for media arts professionals. Some entry-level jobs for media arts majors: Computer generated lighting, compositing and rendering, storyboard artists, texture artists, computer modelers, computer generated special effects artists, broadcast graphics artists, background painters, forensic artists, video post-production artists and more. Graduates with a Master of Arts in Art Education will find work as art teachers. This is a career that not only benefits the teacher’s personal artistic growth, but also educates children about art in its entirety. Graduates will learn art strategies and techniques to teach in the classroom, as well as art fundamentals and history.
A master’s degree in web design or media arts is beneficial to understanding visual communication from an industry viewpoint. Your graduate degree will prepare you to work on computers daily and use industry-specific computer design software. According to the BLS, graduates in this field of design can expect to face keen competition, but those who have web design and animation experience will have the best job opportunities. For design job postings, career advice and resources for design students, check out AIGA, the professional association for design. A master’s degree in art education covers the basic fundamentals of all forms of art. Having these basic tools will make you a better artist and make art an important part of your students’ lives.