Learn More about the Art Institutes Web Design Diploma Program
Program Overview
The Web Design Diploma program is offered by many of the Art Institute campuses, including the online campus out of Pittsburgh. The program is a year long and covers the basics of web design. In order to enroll, you must provide an application with a fee of $50, high school or previous college transcripts, SAT/ACT Scores, and have an average of 2.0.
Courses include:
F****undamentals of Design teaches students about design principles and helps students in future courses.
Color Theory discusses the meaning of color and how it is used in design and translates well for students in Web Design and Interior Design programs.
Digital Imaging is a course that helps students learn Adobe Photoshop and how to do images for the web.
Fundamentals of the Internet teaches students about the internet so they can learn more about why they are designing the websites they want to design.
Information Design helps students learn more about how the mind works so they can better understand how to structure the information they are putting on their website.
Website Development I introduces basic web development languages such as PHP, MySQL, and ASP.
Design and Typography helps students learn about typography through a variety of projects. Students learn how to choose fonts for particular tasks and how their font choices impact design.
Screen Design and Graphics helps students learn about how the computer screen should be used and how to best design design sites to make them useful for their audience.
Basic Web Scripting also introduces basic web development languages such as PHP, MySQL, and ASP.
Computer Animation for the Web is a program based on Adobe Flash software. It has an 11-week option because of the amount of information in the course. Students learn how to design Flash-based websites.
Interactive Telecommunications discusses trends in designing applications for various telecommunications.
Students choose between track one, Technical Web Development, and track two, Visual Design for the courses that round out the degree. Technical Web Development courses include: Intro to Programming, Database Systems, and Website Development II. Visual Design courses include: Illustration for the Web and Multimedia I, Advanced Image Manipulation, and Web Imaging Techniques.
Courses can be done on campus or online, and this is one of the programs that can be done entirely online. The Art Institutes run on a quarter system, and each course runs for 5.5 weeks at a time. As an online student, no more than two courses can be taken at the same time, for a total for 4 classes each quarter.
This program is a great foundation for those who want to get their feet wet and see if web design and development is right for them. Personally, I began the program in January 2005 and finished the program in March 2006. I did not have to choose between the two tracks, as this is a recent change in the program. It was enough to get me interested, because in April 2006, I went on to the Interactive Media and Web Design A.S. program. All credits transfer to the A.S or B.S. program.
Resources
The Art Institute Online Course Catalog for the Web Design Diploma
This post is part of the series: The Art Institutes Web and Interactive Media Design programs
This series will examine the three Web and Interactive Media Design programs offered by the Art Institutes for those who are interested in obtaining a formal education in the field.