Web design is a cross-disciplinary field that calls for a broad skill set: web designers need to know their way around in HTML and CSS to hammer out the bare bones of a website, then probably know some JavaScript to make their design more dynamic. Other tools web designers use regularly are WordPress (which remains the world’s leading content management system), the Adobe Creative Cloud programs like Photoshop to develop compelling images to use, and even aspects of UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design.
The best way to learn to be a web designer without making a four-year bachelor’s degree out of it is by signing up for a certificate program. These are even speedier than two-year associate’s degree programs (as no general studies requirements are involved), and a final certificate from a strong, in-depth program is comparable to a diploma in the eyes of many hiring managers. The certificate shows that you’ve received a proper education in the field and possess the skills hiring managers are seeking.
In addition to attending a certificate program, you can also obtain professional certifications. These usually result from passing a test (it’s a little like getting a driver’s license) such as the Adobe Certified Professional exams for such programs as Photoshop. These certification credentials further highlight your abilities and skills and provide an objective measurement of what you can do. When HR directors hire an Adobe Certified Professional, they know they’re getting someone who can operate Photoshop. The realities of today’s job searches are such that merely possessing skills isn’t enough: your job-search materials are going to have to demonstrate in the space of the few seconds the hiring manager is going to look at your application that you’ve got the skills to do the job properly. Certificates and certifications are an effective way of doing just that.
Lone Star College: Web Designer Occupational Skills Certificate
Key Information: this “fast track” program is indeed fast and can be completed in the space of a single term. Four courses are required for a total of 104 contact hours and 12 credits. LSC’s fees, like those of other community colleges in Texas, are determined by residency. If you reside in-district, the program’s price is $1236. For Texans not living in the College’s district, that price jumps to $2772, and that in turn jumps to $3480 for out-of-state and international students. (The in-district service area is to the north of the Greater Houston area, and incorporates municipalities such as Conroe, Magnolia, Humble, and Aldine). The program has no prerequisites.
The four courses of which the program consists are HTML I/Introduction to website Development, WordPress I, and Photoshop I and II for Web. These give students the essential tools with which to assume web design roles and create websites as a professional. The program also includes instruction in non-technical skills, including project management, workforce behavior, customer service, and interpersonal communication, thereby ensuring that students who complete the program know how to operate in any workplace situation.
The program is offered at two of Lone Star College’s campuses, Montgomery and University Park. The former is located in the pine forest between Conroe and The Woodlands. The latter is located more conveniently to the north and west of downtown Houston, in what was once part of Compaq’s world headquarters. Note that the program is currently delivered using a hybrid model, meaning that, while some classes take place on campus and in-person, others are delivered online and may be followed at any convenient location you may choose, provided that a hearty internet connection is present.
San Jacinto College: Web Page Design and Implementation
Key Information: This certificate program—its rather long-winded full name being Computer Information Technology, Web Page Design and Implementation Specialty, Certificate of Technology—requires 36 credit hours of study spread over three semesters. The price of the program varies according to where the student resides. In San Jacinto College’s district in eastern Harris County (including such communities as Pasadena, Deer Park, and La Porte), tuition for the complete program is $2988. Other Texas residents pay $5184, while out-of-state and international students pay $8028 for the full program. Financial aid may be available for qualifying students. There are no graven-in-stone prerequisites, but the College does recommend that students in the Certificate of Technology program have completed the Computer Information Technology Foundations Occupational Certificate program before moving on to the Certificate of Technology program.
San Jacinto College’s computer information technology (CIT) certificate programs are designed to endow students with workplace-ready skills to enable them to assume IT roles. The program’s classes are taught at the College’s South Campus, to the southeast of downtown Houston, and just on the outside of the South Belt. The course consists of a combination of lectures and labs, the duration of which varies from class to class.
The curriculum for the certificate program calls for four courses in the first term, five in the second, and three in the third. The selection of courses runs from technology to more artistic themes, as the first term’s curriculum shows: Programming Logic and Design, Web Page Development, Introduction to Digital Media, and Introduction to Computer Graphics. The following term calls for an Introduction to Scripting Languages, Web Authoring, Web Page Design, Interface Design with Photoshop, and a choice between a class in animation and one in digital video. The final term of the program features a further Web Page Design class, a class in the development of mobile applications, and, finally, and by way of a capstone, a class in portfolio development. The last-named class also includes instruction in the development of presentation techniques and preparation for the job-search process.
Noble Desktop: Web Design Certificate
Key Information: running for 26 weekdays for a total of 162 classroom hours, this online certificate program is available for $4995. The course assumes that students are proficient in using computers and have some knowledge of how to use Photoshop. (Noble Desktop has classes in Photoshop, should those prove necessary). Included in the price of admission is a free retake option that makes it possible for students to repeat the whole course within a year of their first having taken it. The school also makes recordings of its classes available to students.
The curriculum for Noble Desktop’s Web Design Certificate program starts off by showing students how to use Figma to manage a web design project. That is followed by a module on UI design, then by classes in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, before the class moves on to show students how to use Flexbox, Bootstrap, and Grid to create fully functional and interactive websites. Styling email with HTML is up next, followed by a module on how to use WordPress to build websites. By the end of the course, students will be able to develop websites that are functional, not only on desktop computers, but also on all manner of mobile devices.
The certificate program also includes eight 1-to-1 sessions with a professionally established mentor. These meetings complement the classroom lessons and also serve to help students refine their portfolios in preparation for the cold, cruel, but unavoidable job market. Interview preparedness and resume polishing are included as well, although Noble Desktop does not provide job placement services.
In addition to the free retake option and class recordings, Noble Desktop’s proprietary and state-of-the-art classroom materials are provided at no extra charge. The curriculum is hands-on, which means that students learn by doing, rather than sitting passively by while an instructor lulls them into the arms of Morpheus. Classes are entirely online (although available in-person in New York as well) and fully live: you can always ask the instructor questions because you’re both operating in the same timeline, and you gain the benefit of being able to take your web design class anywhere you like, including (assuming you have a decent pair of earphones) the Hirsch Library reading room in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. That will give you a chance to take in some of the museum’s collection, and, perhaps, find some artistic inspiration in the process.
Texas State Technical College: Web Design & Development – Front-end Designer
Key Information:Texas State Technical College offers a nearly full-time two-semester program in front-end (that is, the side of websites with which users interact) certificate program. Nine credit hours per semester are required (12 hours would qualify as fully full-time). The program prices out at $3492 for Texas residents and $6264 for students who do not reside in the Lone Star State. There are no prerequisites; the TSI (Texas Success Initiative) assessment is waived for certificate program students as well. Also available is a two-year level two certificate program in front-end web development ($6984 for Texas residents; $12,528 for out-of-state students). Note that the TSI waiver does not apply to students taking on a two-year certificate program.
Students take six classes to earn their certificate: Web Design I, Beginning Web Programming, and UI/UX Design in the first term, and Web Design II, Intermediate Web Programming, and Web Authoring in the second. Each class consists of a combination of weekly lectures and hands-on lab assignments. The course covers scripting languages and interactive design and even dips into techniques for both client- and server-side development. The two-year program builds upon this basis and goes on to cover MySQL, PHP, database-driven web design, and even internet commerce.
The course is both online and live, and can be followed from anywhere, be it in the Lone Star State or even beyond (if you’re a Texan and can believe that there’s a world beyond Texas).. The class comes to you, affording you terrific convenience, not only because you have no commute to class, but also because you are free to complete the laboratory assignments at whatever time works for you. That’s anywhere from the heat of the day to the dead of the night when you can pack up your laptop and head to the Starbucks at Post Oak and Westheimer to study until the wee hours with plenty of coffee available to keep you awake.
General Assembly: UX Design Bootcamp
Key Information: if you’re interested in learning more than just web design, a course in UX (user experience) design might be a good fit for you. UX involves web design, as well as a certain amount of technical knowledge. It also involves such interesting things as UX testing, in which you let users try out and then critique your design. There’s no coding involved in UX, but there is a lot of creative work. General Assembly, a global school devoted to closing the very real skills gap, has, among its many programs, a UX Design Bootcamp. The program runs for three months, five days a week, and classes begin meeting at both 9:00 and noon Eastern Time, one of which should be a good fit for people anywhere in the United States. The program is priced at $16,450, and a number of payment plans is available, including one that has you paying next to nothing until you land a job. Although there are no prerequisites per se, there are several hours of pre-work to be done on your own before the first day of class.
Although called a UX Design Bootcamp, the curriculum covers some aspects of UI (user interface) design as well. It then branches out to a unit on design development (everything from wireframing through the finished project) and then to one on real-world UX functionality. An entire unit is spent on career planning, including a capstone project that then goes straight into your job-search portfolio. Students also have the option of a self-paced course-within-a-course that covers HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The program is online and can be taken anywhere in Houston, be it the Houston in Alaska, the one in Saint Kitts and Nevis, the one in Guyana, or, for the fewer adventurous, the one in Texas. The live classes are broadcast using Zoom; additionally, Slack is used to keep all the participants in touch with each other.
General Assembly’s career services, all of which are included in the price of tuition, are capacious indeed. All students receive a career coach who helps them to prepare for the job market throughout the duration of the course. The career coaches assist students in developing their personal brand and put them through mock interviews, as well as introducing them to a variety of networking opportunities. According to 2020 figures, nearly 75% of General Assembly students who availed themselves of the career services program secured in-field jobs within six months of completing the program.
CareerFoundry: UI Design Program
Key Information: as opposed to synchronous programs, in which the teacher and student occupy the same position on the universal timeline, CareerFoundry’s UI (user interface) Design Program is asynchronous, and students are able to view the video lessons at any time they find convenient. The program can be completed in as little as four-and-a-half months (for students who have 30 to 40 hours a week to devote to it) or in as much as nine months (for those who have something closer to 15 to 20 hours a week available). Regardless of how long it takes you to complete the program, the price is $7900, with payment plans available, including a prepayment discount. CareerFoundry includes a money-back guarantee with its classes: if you don’t find a job within six months of graduating, you’ll owe the school nothing. The course has no prerequisites, and you can test-drive the first lesson for free on CareerFoundry’s website.
Headquartered in Berlin and specialists in asynchronous IT training, CareerFoundry brings its classes, mentors, and tutors to every time zone on the planet. Although the school is thus international, all its classes are taught in English. The self-paced lessons are kept up-to-date, while homework in the form of practical assignments is submitted to a tutor, who returns it within 24 hours. In addition to a tutor, CareerFoundry provides a mentor with experience working in UI design who reviews your projects and fine-tunes your portfolio. CareerFoundry terms this a “dual mentorship model, ” although, in addition to the tutor and mentor, students are also assigned a student advisor and a career specialist.
UI design is the aspect of web development that covers the creation of the elements in a website with which the end user interacts. Someone has to decide where the buttons go, and that someone is the UI designer. CareerFoundry divides the curriculum into three phases: introductory, immersion, and specialization (a choice between animation for UI, front-end development for designers, and voice user interface design). Students are additionally required to take a Job Prep course that, as the name would suggest, prepares them for their entry into the job market at the end of their studies.
University of Houston/ed2go: Web Design Professional
Key Information: Although offered by the University of Houston, this certificate program is actually a self-paced online course. It is priced at $3345, and several financing plans are available. The program consists of 384 course hours, which students are given 12 months to complete, although, as the lessons are self-paced, your actual mileage will no doubt vary, and extensions may be granted for students who are unable to complete the course in the allotted time period. Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students receive a certificate of completion. There are no prerequisites for the program, although students are expected to know how to use a computer.
The syllabus for this intensive course begins with an introduction to HTML, which is followed by an introduction to CSS and then one to JavaScript. That sets students on the path to being able to create their own web pages. Next up is learning to use Bootstrap for such purposes as creating responsive navigation, typography, tables, and forms. Following a midterm examination, students proceed to an entire module on color theory and then one on typography. That paves the way for three Adobe Creative Cloud programs: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Animate. The course concludes with a module on managing web design projects prior to a final project and exam.
The course is suitable for viewing on either a PC or a Mac. Course materials, including online manuals, are included in the price of tuition, although prospective students should be aware that they will be responsible for securing the Adobe software (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, and Animate) that is used in the second half of the course. Various forms of human support are included with the program, including an instructor available to answer questions via email and a student advising team. Do note that no career support services are included.
FAQ for Web Design Certificates
What is the Difference Between a Certificate and a Certification?
In the language of business education today, certificates and certifications are not the same thing, despite the similarity of the two words. A certificate is that which you receive at the end of a certificate program: it shows that you completed the work, and, if there is a final exam in your program, passed that successfully. The certificate is basically a diploma, the only difference being that the word diploma is generally reserved for degree programs as opposed to workforce-oriented certificate programs.
A certification, on the other hand, is the result of passing an examination, which is more often than not administered by a third party (such as Certiport or PearsonVUE). The result is an objective measuring stick by which to measure your knowledge of a given topic. You’ll find certification to be available in a number of software programs such as the Adobe Certified Professional exams for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Other certifications are available through professional organizations like the International Web Association, although their certifications require two years’ work experience, so they’re not for those just breaking into the field, but the idea is the same. The advantage to certifications is that, whereas hiring directors might not know the school from which you received your certificate, they will recognize an established professional certification.
Should I Pursue a Certificate or a Certification?
A certificate shows that you have had a substantial education in the field in which you’re pursuing employment. It also shows that you’ve devoted time, energy, and, yes, money towards a career in web development, and the certificate will help create your bona fides as a web designer. If you’re serious about web design as a career, and aren’t interested in pursuing a diploma program (for whatever reason), a certificate—especially one from an established, well-known school—is, at the very least, the next best thing.
Certifications are optional since they require additional energy (and money) to obtain following the conclusion of your studies. Their advantage should be obvious, however: whereas any school can issue a certificate of completion, not all schools are alike (or equal), and, thus, their certificates aren’t as dependable an indicator of your capabilities as a certification is. You needn’t become certified in every skill you have, but having certification in the key skill(s) for a given job will indubitably strengthen your application.
Do I Need to Become Certified to Find a Job?
What gets people hired these days can seem highly mysterious to the frustrated job-seeker. Hiring directors are looking for candidates who can do the job and fit in at the company. The problem is that you can’t read the HR people’s minds when it comes to the first criterion. A certification ought to lend weight to your application, however, but there’s no denying that sometimes the job goes to someone whose resume boasts no certifications, despite the presence of certification-studded resumes on the hiring director’s desk.
Bottom line, a certification isn’t a guarantee you’ll find a job. On the other hand, having one definitely won’t hurt your chances of getting hired. Certifications are, therefore, well worth investigating as you assemble your job-search plans.
What Certificate Program is Right for Me?
Which is Better: In-Person or Online Classes?
In-person classes should be familiar to anyone who’s ever attended school. You’ve been learning that way since kindergarten, and the teaching method is both familiar and effective. You can raise your hand and ask a question, the teacher can come over and help you, and you have to sit up straight and pay attention to what the teacher says and demonstrates. You’ll certainly be able to learn how to be a web designer in such a class.
That is if you can find one. Houston doesn’t offer a whole lot of options when it comes to learning web design in a live class (Houston Community College doesn’t have a web design certificate program, although they do offer an Associate’s in Applied Science degree program that covers the topic). For a broader set of options, you’ll have to look to the internet and the live online class.
Learning online has been around for at least two decades, in which time schools have had time to perfect the means for teaching using Zoom or another teleconferencing platform. Mention of Zoom may perhaps bring to mind the questionable success internet learning had with children during the pandemic, but teaching adults online is an entirely different matter. Adults come to classes ready to learn because they’ve made a major investment (both emotional and financial) in learning skills to improve their situation in the workplace. As a result, they can benefit from the convenience that comes with an online class: there’s no rushing to school, no anti-ergonomic plastic chairs, no glaring fluorescent lights, and no annoying leg-shakers sitting next to you. You can take your class in any comfortable space you can set aside for your work, and still be able to ask your instructors questions, and, if need be (and with permission), show them the mess you’ve gotten yourself into by sharing your screen. Quite a few alumni of online classes have found learning across the internet brought them the better of both worlds: convenience and real-time contact with the teacher.
Which is Better: Live Online or Asynchronous Classes?
The choice between a live online (synchronous) or a self-paced (asynchronous) class will result from a number of factors, most of them beyond your control. The first is whether your schedule will permit you to take a class that requires you to be at your computer at a given time, sometimes for twenty or more mornings running. The schedules of most web design certificate programs are not favorable to people working day jobs. An asynchronous class may thus be the only option available for them.
The other factor to consider is pecuniary: as a general rule, asynchronous courses are less costly than synchronous ones. You may feel that the synchronous course is worth the extra investment, or you may simply not be able to afford one. Don’t feel that you’re settling for sloppy seconds if you do take an on-demand class, however. Many people have succeeded admirably with an asynchronous course of study.
The one sizable drawback to an asynchronous class is that you don’t have the option of asking the teacher a question should you not grasp something. Some asynchronous courses offer email or telephone support so that you can bring a question to a human being, but that’s not the same thing as being able to get an immediate answer. The other less-than-great thing about self-paced learning is that it requires a great deal of self-discipline on the student’s part. Having to report to a class at a given time is an effective way of keeping your attendance and studying ethic up. With no one overseeing your progress, you can easily lag behind and lose interest. That’s not likely to happen if you’re sufficiently serious about your self-paced class, but you should go into an asynchronous course with the determination to see yourself through the program.