Associate in Arts - Graphic Design and Photography (Graphic Design) in Santa Barbara United States | Santa Barbara City College

The Graphic Design & Photography Department provides a two-year Associate in Arts Degree program. This degree equips students for transfer to four-year universities including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU Long Beach, CSU San José, CSU Los Angeles, CalArts, CCA, or OTIS. Additionally, it delivers career-focused technical training and creative problem-solving education, enabling graduates to pursue graphic design positions upon completion.


The Graphic Design program aims to cultivate creativity, conceptual thinking, and problem-solving abilities while teaching industry-standard tools. Starting with fundamental design principles applied to both digital and traditional media, the curriculum progresses to help students refine their visual perception and develop distinctive conceptual solutions. Through instruction in digital tools, design theory, innovative thinking, and graphic arts problem-solving methods, students gain a solid foundation for professional entry or further academic pursuits. Training occurs in a cutting-edge Digital Arts Center for practical digital skills development.