Students need to have basic skills in drawing from direct observation (drawing from three-dimensional reality), and working knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. 

If you can show design work that demonstrates equivalent skills to a course or courses in the program, you may be eligible to receive transfer or portfolio credits in place of having to take those courses, or may be eligible to begin your program at Level 2 or Level 3. All decisions regarding transfer or portfolio credits, as well as decisions regarding placement in the program, are determined by review of the applicant’s communication design portfolio.

Students can take up to 6 credits of required courses in the program before applying; upon acceptance the credits will transfer in so that you can proceed to the next course(s) in your program sequence. To be eligible for automatic pre-program transfer credits, final course grades for courses taken pre-program must be B+ or better and taken in the correct sequence, or by permission of the Program Director.

 Level 1 applicants need only submit the online application, application fee, and one paragraph explaining their career goals and/or why they wish to be accepted to the program. If you are applying to begin the program at Level 2 or Level 3, you must additionally submit either a college transcript showing at least 60 college credits or a 500-word essay explaining your qualifications to do college-level work, and a portfolio of communication design work that shows equivalent skills to the previous level. If you apply to Level 1 and plan on continuing to Level 2, we recommend including any college transcripts you have with your application.

Applications are reviewed and accepted on an on-going basis during our application periods: February 1–June 15 (for Fall start), February 1–April 15 (for Summer start); Sept 1–November 1 (for Spring start). 

Please visit the Tuition and Fees page to see the approximate cost of the program.

This program is not eligible for financial aid.

MassArt’s Communication Design Certificate is a rigorous program that produces high quality graduates who are able to obtain and succeed at top design jobs. This requires a significant time commitment on the part of the student to working independently on assignments outside of class, for most courses in the program. Each level has one short course in which all coursework is planned to be completed during class time, but for all 3- and 4-credit courses, students can expect to spend 10–12 hours outside of class on their assignments per week per course in Level 1, and 15–18 hours outside of class per week per course in Levels 2 and 3. 

The required courses for each level are listed above under Program Courses by Level. To receive the Level 1 Certificate you need to achieve the equivalent of a 2.0 GPA (note: MassArt does not calculate GPAs) based on your final grades in the four Level 1 courses. To achieve a Level 2 or Level 3 Certificate, you must complete the courses required for that level and pass a culminating Portfolio Review for that level, following completion of coursework.

To automatically advance from Level 1 to Level 2, you must complete the four Level 1 courses with a final course grade of B+ or higher in each Level 1 course. Students who don’t meet this benchmark and wish to advance to Level 2 may be required to do remedial coursework to advance, and/or may advance with permission of the Program Director. To advance from Level 2 to Level 3, students must complete all required Level 2 coursework and receive a “Pass” at their culminating Level 2 Portfolio Review. Students who do not pass Level 2 review and wish to advance to Level 3 are required to do remedial coursework and must then receive a “Pass” at a second Level 2 Portfolio Review.