Best Art Director programs in Michigan, ranked by enrollment
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film.
25 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 429 people a year. The job pays a median of $86,660 in Michigan across about 1,080 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
2 programs in Michigan that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (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 Michigan page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0409In Michigan → | 329 | 76.7% | 23 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0102In Michigan → | 100 | 23.3% | 4 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
Top 25 schools in Michigan
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 25 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 111 | Digital Arts | — | 81% | — | 85% |
| 2 | Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 67 | Graphic Design | $30,687 | 58% | — | 88% |
| 3 | Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Graphic Design | $27,577 | 48% | — | 72% |
| 4 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 31 | Digital Arts | — | 59% | — | 90% |
| 5 | Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Graphic Design | $34,045 | 47% | — | 91% |
| 6 | Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Digital Arts | — | 33% | — | — |
| 7 | Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Graphic Design | $39,077 | 58% | — | 85% |
| 8 | Muskegon Community College Muskegon, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Graphic Design | — | 28% | — | — |
| 9 | Adrian College Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Graphic Design | — | 48% | $20,357 | 73% |
| 10 | Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Graphic Design | — | 62% | $21,132 | 78% |
| 11 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Graphic Design | — | 28% | — | — |
| 12 | Mott Community College Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Graphic Design | — | 32% | — | — |
| 13 | Southwestern Michigan College Dowagiac, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Graphic Design | — | 38% | — | — |
| 14 | Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Graphic Design | — | 74% | $22,391 | 71% |
| 15 | Madonna University Livonia, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Graphic Design | — | 60% | $16,904 | 63% |
| 16 | Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Graphic Design | — | 72% | $17,800 | 82% |
| 17 | Monroe County Community College Monroe, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Graphic Design | — | 34% | — | — |
| 18 | Alpena Community College Alpena, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Graphic Design | — | 52% | — | — |
| 19 | Cranbrook Academy of Art Bloomfield Hills, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Graphic Design | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Graphic Design | — | 64% | $19,806 | 52% |
| 21 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Digital Arts | — | 93% | — | 16% |
| 22 | The University of Olivet Olivet, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Graphic Design | — | 35% | $21,946 | 83% |
| 23 | Kirtland Community College Grayling, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Graphic Design | — | 34% | — | — |
| 24 | Siena Heights University Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Graphic Design | — | 39% | $17,015 | 69% |
| 25 | Wayne County Community College District Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Graphic Design | — | 22% | — | — |
All 25 schools in Michigan
Every school in Michigan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing | Public | 111 | 2 |
| Oakland University | Rochester Hills | Public | 67 | 1 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | University Center | Public | 33 | 1 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant | Public | 31 | 2 |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids | Public | 27 | 1 |
| Washtenaw Community College | Ann Arbor | Public | 21 | 1 |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | Public | 18 | 1 |
| Muskegon Community College | Muskegon | Public | 17 | 1 |
| Adrian College | Adrian | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Cornerstone University | Grand Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Kalamazoo | Public | 12 | 1 |
| Mott Community College | Flint | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Southwestern Michigan College | Dowagiac | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Calvin University | Grand Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Madonna University | Livonia | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
What art directors earn in Michigan
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $114,850. Michigan pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Michigan
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 Art Directors page.
How to become a Art Director
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
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 Michigan
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Art Directors3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0102Digital Arts
- 50.0409Graphic Design
- 50.0706Intermedia/Multimedia
Common questions
Answers for people weighing art directors programs in Michigan.
What degree do you need to become an Art Director?+
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 329 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 76.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Art Director?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Design and Applied Arts, Visual and Performing Arts. Together they graduate about 429 people a year in Michigan.
How much do art directors earn in Michigan?+
The median is $86,660 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 24.5% below the U.S. median of $114,850. 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 art directors growing?+
BLS projects a +4.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 12,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Michigan?+
25 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 art directors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Art Director, Design Director, Creative Services Director, Creative Director (CD Director) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1011.
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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