Web & Multimedia Design

Types of Degrees Web & Multimedia Design Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many web and multimedia design graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	1,418
Associate Degree	1,398
Bachelor’s Degree	1,122
Undergraduate Certificate	920
Master’s Degree	405
Graduate Certificate	34
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Web & Multimedia Design Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, multimedia design majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Multimedia Design Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in multimedia design should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Multimedia Design Majors

multimedia design majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Multimedia Design Majors

As you progress with your multimedia design degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Web & Multimedia Design Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with multimedia design:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Graphic Designers	4.2%	$50,370
Multimedia Artists and Animators	8.4%	$72,520
Web Developers	14.9%	$69,430

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Web & Multimedia Design?

This major is dominated by women with about 60% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of multimedia design majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	120
Black or African American	67
Hispanic or Latino	178
White	442
International Students	252
Other Races/Ethnicities	63

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Multimedia Design, too. About 22.5% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Web & Multimedia Design Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Multimedia Design majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $54,680 to $78,230 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Web & Multimedia Design

Some careers associated with multimedia design require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to multimedia design have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	8.8%
Some College Courses	14.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	53.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.5%
Master’s Degree	1.6%

Online Web & Multimedia Design Programs

In 2020-2021, 526 schools offered a multimedia design program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	199	27
Certificate (2-4 Years)	18	4
Associate’s Degree	254	27
Bachelor’s Degree	15	6
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	17	4
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Web & Multimedia Design Worth It?

The median salary for a multimedia design grad is $75,580 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 89% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $713,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Web & Multimedia Design

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to multimedia design.

Major	Number of Grads
Data Modeling/Warehousing & Database Administration	3,756
Computer Graphics	2,988
Other Computer Software & Media Applications	1,438
Modeling, Virtual Environments & Simulation	854

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Negative Space under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.