Graphic Design Certificate

Develop your creative and technical skills while learning industry-standard design software

Program Fast Facts

  • Start date: September 5, 2024
  • Live online classes meet Thursdays
    7:30 – 8:30 p.m. CST
    +4 hours/week of self-paced study
  • Online
  • 7 months
  • 2,999 Priority Tuition
    (expires 8/22/24)
    $3,249 Standard Tuition

Courses

You may register for some Graphic Design Certificate courses individually and without an application.

Apply and register for the full Graphic Design Certificate Program to receive 20% off the standard tuition of the individual courses.
 

Graphic design is the visual expression of ideas. A graphic designer’s role is to translate, communicate — and sometimes advocate — by giving form to ideas. With more and more digital communication, graphic design is thriving since graphic designers are now needed for both print (flyers, brochures, etc.) and digital (web templates, digital billboards, banner ads, and so on) design.

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The Adobe® Acrobat® Portable Document Format (PDF) is the industry standard for exchanging electronic documents. Acrobat® can maintain your page layout and prevent changes to documents, even when they are shared with others.

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Adobe® Illustrator® is the industry’s leading tool used to create professional vector graphics for print and web designs. Used by design professionals worldwide, Illustrator® provides precise and powerful drawing tools and a host of time-savers for busy professionals.

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Adobe® InDesign® takes desktop publishing and design to another level. In this course, you'll learn to use the extraordinary power of InDesign® to create multi-page documents and prepare them for print or export as a PDF.

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Adobe® Photoshop® is the industry standard for producing professional graphics and an essential tool for most design professionals, whether they work on digital or print images. In this course, you'll learn to retouch digital photos by cropping, sizing and perfecting contrast, color balance and many other tools.

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In this course, you'll experience the process used by professional freelancers and design firms to create professional-quality design. You'll come to understand, in theory and practice, what makes good design — in form and space, in color fundamentals, in translating key messages into design and in utilizing typography and images effectively.

Upcoming Start Dates

September 5

Thursdays

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. CST

+4 hours/week of self-paced study

7 months

Live online

March TBD

Thursdays

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. CST

+4 hours/week of self-paced study

7 months

Live online

SMU Graphic Design Certificate Program Entrance Requirements

Admission to the SMU Graphic Design Certificate program requires:

  • A four-year undergraduate degree OR four years of professional work experience
  • A personal laptop computer (to bring to classroom sessions)
  • Adobe® Creative Cloud® software installed on the laptop
  • High-speed internet access
  • Basic computer knowledge

SMU Graphic Design Certificate Program Completion Requirements

Complete and pass each class below with a score of 70% or better:
  • Introduction to Graphic Design
  • Adobe® Acrobat®
  • Adobe® Illustrator®
  • Print Graphics with Photoshop®
  • Adobe® InDesign®
  • Graphic Design Certificate Capstone

 

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