What other areas of study are related to my web design program?

There are many areas related to the field of web design, and the best web design programs will offer courses in at least some of them to help round out your education. Graphic design is 1 highly similar subject related to web design. While this can be a career itself, it is also a major part of web design, as you will use images and illustration to build sites and add visual appeal.

Multimedia arts and animation is another closely related area if study. It mainly involves designing special effects and moving images for movies, TV shows, video games and more. Some animation styles require you to build models while others only require your computer. Because many websites incorporate animation and other sophisticated artistry, multimedia art skills are especially useful in the web design world.

Desktop publishing also has many similarities to web design and utilizes computer software to create layouts for printed books, magazines, newspapers and other printed and online documents. Both brick-and-mortar and online web design programs will likely cover some aspects of desktop publishing.

Software development is also related to web design and it incorporates some of the more technical aspects of web design. As a software developer, you create computer programs or applications to perform specific tasks. You may also develop entire systems or networks. Development entails more programming work than web design, but it is an excellent complementary subject for you to study.

What internships should I pursue during my on-campus or online web design degree program?

There are a variety of internship options for web design students. While the most competitive internships require you to be enrolled in a web design bachelor degree program, you can also find opportunities if you are working on an associates degree or vocational certificate.

If you are in the North Carolina area, you may find an internship at Gulfstream Design, which publishes several magazines, including WNC, Charleston and G the Magazine of Greenville, South Carolina. Gulfstream offers web design internships during the fall, spring and summer semesters.

Boston University has a special internship program for graphic and web design track students during the summer term. You start the program with 6 weeks of academic classes, totaling 8 credits. For the next 6 weeks, the school places you in an internship at a local web design firm, advertising agency, publishing company, nonprofit or other company.

If you prefer working from home, a virtual internship is a great option. Some schools, like Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois will help to match you with these programs. Typically, companies looking for virtual interns want you to have a basic skill set already, as there will be fewer training opportunities than with traditional internships. If you are enrolled in an online web design program, you are an especially good candidate for a virtual internship since you have already built experience working online.

Are there any movies or TV shows that I might enjoy during my web design degree program?

While there are limited options that focus specifically on web design, plenty of films and shows revolve around the web or use computer animations similar to your own. These shows offer a kind of inspiration that even the best programs for web design may not provide, and thus are excellent supplements to your education.

Untraceable, directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring Diane Lane and Billy Burke, is a murder mystery that showcases the power of the Internet. A serial killer posts videos of his victims online and the detectives must harness their web prowess to crack the case. Watching this can help you realize the vast power of the Internet, which you are helping to shape as a web designer.

Manufactured Landscapes, directed by Jennifer Baichwal, is a documentary that will help stimulate your creativity as a designer. The movie follows photographer Edward Burtynsky as he travels to industrialized landscapes and uses them to make works of art. You will learn how to find beauty from unexpected sources and then create visually appealing images.

For an entertaining look at the origins of computer culture, you might enjoy Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires. This PBS series aired in the 1990s and offers an inside view of the history and people behind the cyber world that exists today. The documentary will provide you with a better understanding of how web design developed, and it may help you to appreciate the technology you use in the field.

Are there any accelerated campus-based or online web design programs to help me finish my degree faster?

Most of the top web design programs do not offer accelerated degree programs. While many certificate programs do offer fast-track learning, a certificate is not equivalent to an accredited web design program because you will not earn an associates or bachelors degree. Web design is a new and specialized field, and degree options in general are sparser compared to more traditional subjects.

There are some exceptions, however, including Southwest Illinois College, which has 3 campuses and an accelerated program for students who already have an undergraduate degree. If you qualify, you will only need to take 27 course credits.

College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois has a web design bachelor degree program that you can shorten if desired. The school caters to those looking for web design programs online by offering a variety of distance learning options. However, you will need to complete 30 to 60 credit hours before you can enroll in the college’s nontraditional programs.

Accelerated programs generally require the same coursework as traditional programs, but allow you to work at a faster pace. Classes may be more condensed, meaning the hours are crammed into a few weeks instead of months. In some cases, you can take advantage of life experience credits to decrease the number of required classes.