Graphic Communications: An Academic Discipline With Rare and Valuable Degrees

This is the first in a series of articles to provide readers with insights into college-level graphic communications education in North America and beyond. The Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications (ACCGC) is the only accreditation body in the world for academic graphic communications degree programs. Our council is made up of 19 directors—company presidents, industry executives, and university professors, all passionate about the value of higher education and working together to promote and improve the unique and increasingly esoteric academic discipline of graphic communications (accgc.org/board-of-directors).

Graphic Design degrees are different from Graphic Communications degrees
When used as a term to describe an academic degree, ‘graphic communications’ is often confused with ‘graphic design,’ a term that has widespread public familiarity. Graphic Design degree programs are almost always administered from within a Department of Art (or similarly named). Graphic Design curriculums focus on art history, aesthetics, visual symbols, and the design, function, and visual appearance of commercial products. Hands-on experiences most often include studio art classes such as drawing, photography, and sculpture. Learning projects involve the process of creating a visual design, often with multiple types of media, followed by students in the class critiquing each other’s work before attempting to produce an improved version of the design. The outcome of the project is the visual appearance of the commercial product on a computer display, or perhaps as a hard copy proof. Through this process students will develop technical knowledge of media and design software, almost exclusively Adobe Creative Cloud.

By contrast, Graphic Communications degree programs provide students with experiences not just with creating the visual appearance of products on a computer display, but with the proper construction of media files leading to the manufacture of physical media, such as packages, multi-page products, or signage. Learning production of physical media is mixed with the production of digital media, website development, eCommerce management, 3D modeling and motion graphics, videography, and the discovery and use of data in targeting, versioning, and analytics. Further, degree programs of this kind integrate the unique production and management aspects of businesses that sell visual products. Graphic Communications learning projects are problem solving activities, typically providing students’ experiences with servers and RIPs, management information systems (MIS), digital asset management systems (DAM), image capture equipment, quality control devices, commercial wide format inkjet and toner presses, as well as a range of finishing and forming equipment. Software needed goes beyond the Adobe Creative Cloud to specialized applications such as those used in prepress, color management, packaging design and prototyping, and computer generated imagery (CGI).

Graduates of graphic communications degree programs find employment not just in the printing industry, but in a wide range of settings where their unique skillsets are highly valued. Recent data from ACCGC accredited programs show a 90% placement rate within 2 months of graduation. A canvas of recent graduating student job titles includes:

Account Coordinator
Development Associate
Digital eCommerce Producer
eCommerce Manager
Digital Content Manager
Front End Developer
Instructional Media Designer
Prepress Technician
Print Estimator
Print Production Specialist
Production Artist
Production Associate
Project Manager
Quality Assurance Specialist
Sales Representative
Structural Designer
User Experience Designer
Web Designer
Web Content Manager

Many Graphic Design degrees, few Graphic Communications degrees
At most colleges, fine arts courses are integrated into the general education that all college students receive, so with over 3500 colleges awarding bachelor’s degrees in the US alone, there are 1000s of Departments of Art. Perhaps more than 1000 of these departments have developed Graphic Design degree programs as a practical vocational track for their art students.

By contrast, most people have little or no familiarity with Graphic Communications as an academic subject. Much of this has to do with the fact that there are very few graphic communications degree programs in North America. Much of this has to do with the required laboratory footprint needed for equipment, as well as material and maintenance costs, making these programs relatively costly to maintain. This added cost does not go unnoticed by higher education administrators, who are charged with tracking educational efficiencies.

As of 2022, ACCGC identified only 18 universities in the US & Canada with active bachelor’s degree programs in the field of graphic communications. These programs are listed below and go under various titles (for example, Graphic Information Technology, Graphic Media Management, or Digital Media). While titles differ, these degree programs all aim to educate students in the complete range of digital media, print media manufacturing, as well as complimentary business and management courses (programs listed with an asterisk have recently gone through ACCGC’s accreditation process). Some readers may recognize an absence of institutions that once had graphic communications programs. In recent years, many programs in the United States have been eliminated due to high program maintenance costs, lack of industry support, and low student interest.

Appalachian State University, Graphic Communication Management (NC)
*Arizona State University, Graphic Information Technology
Arkansas State University, Creative Media Production/Graphic Communication
Ball State University (IN), Graphic Arts Management
Bowling Green State University (OH), Visual Communications Technology (with a concentration in print)
*California Polytechnic State University, Graphic Communication
Central Connecticut State University, Graphics Technology
Clemson University, Graphic Communications (SC)
Ferris State University, Graphic Media Management (MI)
*Illinois State University, Graphic Communications Technology
Millersville University, Graphic Communications Technology (PA)
Murray State University, Graphic Communications Media (KY)
*Pittsburg State University, Graphic Communication (KS)
Rochester Institute of Technology, Media Arts and Technology (NY)
Toronto Metropolitan University, Graphic Communications Management (Canada)
*University of Houston, Digital Media
*University of Northern Iowa, Graphic Technology
*Western University of Pennsylvania, Digital Media Technology

*accredited by ACCGC

In our next article, we’ll describe the value of accreditation, how accreditation and certification differ, and introduce the process that our accredited schools go through. We’ll also present our taxonomy of graphic communications education to illustrate in more detail the surprising range of material taught within modern graphic communications degree programs. You’ll also find an explanation of ACCGC’s seven critical student learning outcomes required of accredited programs.

Learn more about ACCGC: www.accgc.org 

ACCGC Board of Directors