Best Graphic Designer programs in Arkansas, ranked by enrollment
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos.
15 schools in Arkansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 248 people a year. The job pays a median of $46,220 in Arkansas across about 1,390 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Arkansas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Arkansas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Arkansas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arkansas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Designmain feeder CIP 50.0409In Arkansas → | 115 | 46.4% | 8 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 2 | Design and Visual Communications, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0401In Arkansas → | 40 | 16.1% | 2 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 3 | Digital Artsmain feeder CIP 50.0102In Arkansas → | 34 | 13.7% | 2 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 4 | Commercial and Advertising Artmain feeder CIP 50.0402In Arkansas → | 29 | 11.7% | 2 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0801In Arkansas → | 24 | 9.7% | 4 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 6 | Industrial and Product Designmain feeder CIP 50.0404In Arkansas → | 6 | 2.4% | 1 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
Top 15 schools in Arkansas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 15 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NorthWest Arkansas Community College Bentonville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Graphic Design | — | 31% | — | — |
| 2 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Design and Visual Communications, General | $41,782 | 71% | — | 74% |
| 3 | Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Graphic Design | $20,285 | 49% | — | 96% |
| 4 | National Park College Hot Springs, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Digital Arts | — | 35% | — | — |
| 5 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR Public · 3 feeder programs | 21 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 42% | — | 59% |
| 6 | Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Commercial and Advertising Art | $35,970 | 55% | — | 82% |
| 7 | University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Graphic Design | — | 38% | — | 80% |
| 8 | John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Graphic Design | $24,893 | 72% | $20,325 | 76% |
| 9 | Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Graphic Design | — | 61% | $21,322 | 68% |
| 10 | Harding University Searcy, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Graphic Design | $35,582 | 69% | $19,423 | 71% |
| 11 | Southern Arkansas University Tech Camden, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Design and Visual Communications, General | — | 62% | — | — |
| 12 | University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville Batesville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 66% | — | — |
| 13 | Arkansas State University - Mountain Home Mountain Home, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Graphic Design | — | 44% | — | — |
| 14 | South Arkansas College El Dorado, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 30% | — | — |
| 15 | University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain Mena, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 55% | — | — |
All 15 schools in Arkansas
Every school in Arkansas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthWest Arkansas Community College | Bentonville | Public | 39 | 2 |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | Public | 39 | 2 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville | Public | 34 | 1 |
| National Park College | Hot Springs | Public | 33 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock | Public | 21 | 3 |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro | Public | 16 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas - Fort Smith | Fort Smith | Public | 15 | 1 |
| John Brown University | Siloam Springs | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| Harding University | Searcy | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Southern Arkansas University Tech | Camden | Public | 7 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville | Batesville | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Arkansas State University - Mountain Home | Mountain Home | Public | 5 | 1 |
| South Arkansas College | El Dorado | Public | 2 | 1 |
| University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain | Mena | Public | 1 | 1 |
What graphic designers earn in Arkansas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $62,960. Arkansas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Arkansas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Graphic Designers page.
How to become a Graphic Designer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Arkansas
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Graphic Designers7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0801Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- 11.0803Computer Graphics
- 50.0102Digital Arts
- 50.0401Design and Visual Communications, General
- 50.0402Commercial and Advertising Art
- 50.0404Industrial and Product Design
- 50.0409Graphic Design
Common questions
Answers for people weighing graphic designers programs in Arkansas.
What degree do you need to become a Graphic Designer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Graphic Design, which awarded 115 degrees in Arkansas in 2024-25, 46.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Graphic Designer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Design and Applied Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Computer Software and Media Applications. Together they graduate about 248 people a year in Arkansas.
How much do graphic designers earn in Arkansas?+
The median is $46,220 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 26.6% below the U.S. median of $62,960. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for graphic designers growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 20,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Arkansas?+
15 institutions in Arkansas reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do graphic designers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Designer, Graphic Artist, Graphic Designer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1024.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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