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Frequently Asked Questions about the Graphic Design Program

If you don't see the answer to your question below, you can contact the Media Arts Department, and we'll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can!

According to a recently completed, five year study, 70-80% of our grads are placed in full time jobs with benefits within one year of graduating. This figure is even higher when including those who get part-time employment or earn money through freelancing.

Jobs are found in full service graphic design firms, sign and specialty print shops, editorial design for magazines and newspapers, marketing and public relations firms, in UX/web design and all manner of design production, to name some of the primary employers. The vast majority of graduates find jobs right here in Eugene, but our grads are spread across all regions of the country.

Admission into the second year does change some from year to year, but typically involves filling out an application, providing transcripts, writing an essay, and preparing an assignment. Information about specific dates and requirements will be available online in this site or in the Art Office, building 11, starting spring term. Contact the Art Department for an Application Packet.

Those students who are not accepted into the program have a number of options.

  • They can ask for a meeting with the Program Coordinator to discuss their admission scores.
  • Some then decide to spend the next year working on areas of weakness in order to re-apply the following year.
  • Others who were thinking of going on to a four year institution can pursue their AAOT.
  • Others transfer to graphic design programs at other community colleges, such as Linn-Benton in Albany or Chemeketa in Salem.
  • Others pursue other schools with graphic design programs
  • Some students, however, decide that this career may not be right for them and investigate other career options such as Lane's Multimedia Design program.

Any LCC student can take the courses required for the first year of the graphic design program. Room is limited, for those who wish to take the second year courses. Each June, students interested in the second year of the program must go through an official application process.

Certainly there are particular companies or institutions that make a bachelor’s degree requirement for some of their positions. Often, these are bigger firms or institutions and so if a person wants to get into certain levels of employment, they might need to continue on to get a bachelor’s degree or higher. It is always best to do some research into the various jobs in the field that might interest you and try to ascertain what level of education is required for them.

There are many different options for starting out at Lane in order to transfer well into another program, should you feel that this is your path. Always see an advisor about how your plans fit with the offerings at Lane.

That said, Lane grads do very well in the job market and many of our grads have moved up to leadership positions within the field having only obtained the art and applied science degree in graphic design from Lane.

The amount of students who apply to the program varies from year to year, but there is space for roughly twenty-three full time students per year.

Though the process changes slightly from year to year, there is typically an essay and an assigned project that all applicants must complete. The project is submitted anonymously and is independently evaluated by two to three reviewers (An information session will be held early Spring term to discuss the process).

This Website contains a lot of information about the Program. For more information, Mel Stark, Media Arts Coordinator, can be reached at 541-463-5197. You can also talk to the Administrative Coordinator of the Art Department 541-463-5419, or Judy Gates, Academic Advisor for the Art Department. A good resource on the field of graphic design is Graphic Design: A Career Guide and Education Directory, edited by Sharon Helmer Poggenpohl. In addition, a one credit course called Introduction to Graphic Design is offered every year.

The area of illustration is a specialty area of graphic design and can be pursued through the program. The program offers courses in both analog and digital illustration and some faculty are professional illustrators as well. If you are interested in pursuing a career in illustration, please let the faculty know and your final coursework and portfolio can be tailored to that career.

Although drawing skill is an advantage, especially in a small market, it is not a requirement for a career in graphic design. Drawing classes are required for all first year students, however, because they are a great way to develop technical skills as well as for use in storyboarding and thumbnailing concepts for designers, co-workers and clients.

The Lane Community College Graphic Design program teaches entry level skills but, of course, can't guarantee employment. Locally, most entry level jobs involve the production of someone else's design, with most of this work now being done on the computer. Lane offers a very strong foundation in production skills and technology as well as in computer skills.