Web Design

Web Designers Need Broader, Deeper Knowledge

The Internet’s rapid evolution means professional Web designers must continually update and expand their skill sets to keep up with changing technologies and industry standards. Today’s Web designers must be able to define the business problem and determine user needs, in addition to applying principles of information architecture, interaction design, graphic design, and user research. They also must know how to write their own front-end code and use visual authoring software.

Professional-Level Program Delivers Solid Expertise

The professional Web Design program at UCSC Extension equips you to meet these challenges. Our newly revised certificate program begins with an orientation course entitled “Web Design, Introduction” that brings you up to date on opportunities in the field. The final course, “Web Design Project”, provides an opportunity to apply newly acquired theory, tools, and techniques to create a professional-quality Web site. In between are courses that expose you to each step in the user-centered design process.

Flexible Requirements Accommodate Entry-level and Experienced Designers

Our certificate program includes foundation skills and advanced Web design courses. Those who are new to the Web Design field should start with the recommended prerequisites and take all the foundation courses. This will equip you with the broad skills needed to become a competent Web designer. Experienced Web designers who want to expand and update their knowledge can select a mix of foundation and advanced courses based on their current knowledge and career goals. Either approach leads to a UC certificate.

Get Hands-on Experience Working in Our State-of-the-Art Labs

Many software courses are taught in our state of-the-art Macintosh lab. The lab features multi-core Mac Pros, the latest version of Mac OS X, and the latest software including Adobe CS5. The lab provides you with the opportunity to practice new skills on top-quality machines loaded with the most current software.

Benefits of Studying Web Design at UCSC Extension Silicon Valley

The Web Design program offers current and aspiring professionals:

  • The basic foundation skills for designing Web sites
  • Courses in advanced topics to help students develop areas of specialization
  • Courses taught by senior working professionals
  • Convenient course schedules and Silicon Valley location
  • Courses updated frequently to reflect the latest tools and techniques

Prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites to enter the certificate program. However, students should be proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. For those in need of these skills, we offer introductory courses in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. These two recommended prerequisites do not count toward the total number of units required for the certificate and may be satisfied with equivalent experience. We also recommend “Graphic Design Fundamentals” as a prerequisite for students who do not have previous graphic design background.

Recommended Course Sequence

Depending on student experience in Web Design, the courses may be taken in any order, provided the individual course prerequisites have been fulfilled. All students should end with “Web Design Project.”  New students should attend the Program Overview or Open House events to receive course sequence information.

Program Coordinator

LILLIAN SVEC, M.F.A., has championed user-centered design and information architecture (IA) for more than fifteen years. She pioneered the IA role at Studio Archetype. At Sapient, she was the Global Practice Lead for IA providing leadership to 100 team members in 18 offices world-wide. At Walmart.com, she was the Director of User Experience.

Benefits of Declaring Candidacy

We encourage you to establish candidacy in a certificate program early in your studies. There are substantial benefits in doing so:

  • Curriculum changes subsequent to the date your application is received will not affect your course requirements.
  • Candidates will be notified of updates or special opportunities related to the program.

Engineering & Technology Program Contact

Enroll online now or contact the Engineering & Technology Department for more information:
(408) 861-3860 or e-mail program@ucsc-extension.edu.

Course Schedule
Declare Candidacy

Web Design Certificate Requirements

To obtain the Certificate in Web Design, you must complete a minimum of 17.5 units. Certificates are granted upon successful completion of “Web Design Project.”

For students new to the Web Design field, we strongly recommended “Web Design, Introduction” and all eight other foundation courses.

For those with two or more years of industry experience who are proficient in some Web design skills, foundation courses can be taken, as needed, to round out your skill set and to supplement the advanced courses.

How to Apply

Certificate applications can be submitted online. Simply click on the "Declare Candidacy" button above. Then, select the "Enroll" button next to the certificate title and follow the instructions.

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Course Materials

Refer to your enrollment receipt for specific details about materials for this course. Your course may require one or both of the following types of materials:

Course Readers: Students are responsible for ordering printed course readers through our on-demand course materials service. 

Electronic Course Materials: An electronic version may also be downloaded after logging in to your course website: https://online.ucsc-extension.edu/xsl-portal

For more details on both of these options, visit our course materials page.


For information about ordering textbooks, click here.