Online Web Design Degree Programs

The incredible growth of the Internet equals an incredible increase in the number of Web sites online, and in most cases somebody is getting paid for designing those Web sites. While social networking sites have simplified the process of creating a personal Web site, those basic templates don't cut it for businesses looking to tap into the World Wide Web's vast economy, creating a strong demand for Web designers. The field of Web design is where creativity, technology, information, and commerce meet. A Web designer's job is to create Websites that are visually appealing, easy to navigate, and that effectively deliver the information that the site's owners are trying to convey to their audience.

Web Design Requires Diverse Study

If you are interested in working with computers and the latest technology but worry that your creative side might be stifled, career training in Web design provides the perfect compromise. The U.S. economy's flourishing tech sector will provide you the security of a fertile and stable job market in a field that will allow you to show off your artistic side.

Web designers use computer languages like HTML and PHP to create, update, and troubleshoot new Web sites. A truly functional site is intuitive, uncluttered, and easy to use, and it is the responsibility of Web designers to utilize the right colors, fonts, themes, graphics and even animation to make it so. In other words, a Web designer has to make a huge number of decisions and utilize a very complex medium to produce an end result that appears simple, a process of equal parts art and science.

Degrees in Web Design

Web design involves a wide range of skills, with an equally wide range of job opportunities. You can get your foot in the door with an associate's degree that can lead to opportunities in Web production, generally in the areas of graphic design and programming. There are also numerous bachelor's degree programs available at colleges, universities, and online.

Increasingly, though, top Web designers will have advanced degrees in fine arts and/or computer science. A typical Web design degree program will include study in art, writing, graphic design, and computer science. As technology improves and more people have access to faster Internet connections, coursework in film and animation is becoming increasingly valuable.

Job Outlook for Web Design

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment outlook for computer specialists, like Web designers, is expected to be excellent for the next decade, with the computer job market expected to grow more than three times as fast as the job market overall. While no college degree can ensure a specific salary, Robert Half International reported 2007 salaries for Web designers in the range of $47,000 to $71,500.

• Technology & IT