Good colleges for Graphic Design, Design/Visual Communications majors?

<p>I've done a search on schools in California with these majors and narrowed it down to these, in order of preference:</p>

<p>UCLA (University of California: Los Angeles)
UC Davis (University of California: Davis)
Cal Poly SLO (California Polytechnic State University: San Luis Obispo)
SDSU (San Diego State University)
CSU Long Beach (California State University: Long Beach)</p>

<p>Of course, I don't know how strong these schools actually are in terms of their design programs, so I was wondering if you guys could point out some colleges that are known for a good design program (or at least inform me about its status at the colleges listed above). Thanks!</p>

<p>BTW, does a lower acceptance rate necessarily constitute a college as "better" (because UC Davis seems to have the highest of the ones mentioned... haha)?</p>

<p>UCLA is the best there.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon University was recently #1 for Multimedia and Visual Communications by Us News. It is also top tier in many other design programs. Link here: School</a> of Design #1 in Multimedia & Visual Communications > School of Design > Carnegie Mellon University</p>

<p>If you're looking at California Publics, the rankings in terms of strength of program would be</p>

<ol>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>Cal Poly SLO</li>
<li>The rest</li>
</ol>

<p>No a higher acceptance rate does not mean the school is better.</p>

<p>BTW depending on where you are located, you may find that you may be able to attend a private school if you're financially needy. I live in los angeles, and I was attending a private art school pursuing my bachelors degree, the financial aid i got based on need, turned out to be the same price to attend a UC for me.</p>

<p>I'm not really sure if I'm considered financially needy, sooo I dunno, haha. Which private universities have a strong design program and how do they compare to the ones on the list?</p>

<p>something i've learned from my experience in design is that you honestly are taught basically the same thing at every school, including at a community college. what gets you a job is being a go getter, networking, connections, and a killer portfolio. some schools will naturally have companies recruit at their schools. and from what i know of art center is a big art school known for the strength of their graphic design.</p>

<p>if you just sit around expecting your school to get you a job, then enjoy your time being unemployed. graphic design is not a rare major, i can imagine its probably one of the top 10 majors in major cities, and frankly assuming theres at least 3 universities(and that's laeving out community colleges)in a city that offer graphic design, how many people do you think end up with the same ability to do the same job.</p>

<p>So you're saying it doesn't matter which college I attend? I understand that success does depend on the individual, but surely there's something a good school contributes.</p>

<p>for a field like design, it's better to go to the school that is the cheapest, not to say that if ucla ends up being 2nd cheapest or reasonably priced to not attend. that's also not to say that you should attend a community college for design, but find the balance between good school and not so pricey.</p>

<p>Ah, okay... well, the colleges I'm aiming for are all public, I think, so they're generally cheaper than private universities.</p>

<p>Look into University of Washington.</p>

<p>Seems similar to Cal Poly from looking at the numbers. It's a possibility... dunno if it's worth the out-of-state tuition though.</p>