Online Web Development Degrees: Curriculum & Program Info
Web developers design, build, and maintain websites using a combination of authoring scripting languages, content creation tools, digital media, and management tools. They also write, design, and edit web page content, and direct others producing content. Performing website updates is a common part of the web development job description, as well.
Learning to perform the duties of a web developer begins with education and hands-on training. Most traditional colleges, technical schools, and art & design schools offer Bachelor of Science degrees in computer science with a concentration in web development.
Other beneficial degrees for entry into this career field include:
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in web development
- Bachelor of Science in Information Systems with a concentration in web development
- Bachelor in Computer Information Systems with a concentration in web development and administration
A significant number of online technical schools, art & design schools, and colleges offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Internet and Web Development, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Web Development, the Bachelor of Science in Web Design & Development, and the Bachelor of Web Development. Many online technical schools and traditional colleges also offer a master’s degree in computer science with a specialization in web design.
Many on-campus colleges have made many of their web development degree programs available online. When searching for a suitable online web development degree program, it is important to pay close attention to accreditation, admission requirements, and curriculums. Most accredited colleges require a sample of students’ work in order to assess creative and artistic ability. They also require transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose.
Please use the information in the next section as a guide to comparie accredited on-campus and online program curriculums to other curriculums.
On-Campus and Online Web Development Degrees Curriculum
On-campus computer science degree programs with a specialization in web development require a combination of technical core courses and technical support courses. Technical support courses include written communication, oral communication, and interpersonal communication. Required technical core courses may include many or all of the following:
- Beginning Photoshop
- Database-Driven Web Sites
- Dreamweaver/Flash
- e-Commerce: Designing and Marketing Web Sites
- Emerging Web Technologies and Trends
- Graphics for the Web
- HTML/XML
- Intermediate Web Site Design
- Introduction to Visual Basic
- Introduction to Web Site Design
- JavaScript
- Principles of Graphic Design
- Web Developer Concepts
- Web Developer Internship
- Web Site Design, Implementation and Maintenance
Depending on the degree program (applied science, fine arts, computer information systems), other courses may include:
- Database Concepts
- SQL for Business
- Image Editing & Implementation
- Web Commercialization
- Application Implementation
- Web Development
- Advanced Web Development
Finding Online Web Development Programs
To locate top accredited online web development degree programs, students may explore the offerings at on-campus technical schools and colleges, search through comprehensive online directories such as Top Online Colleges, or use well-known search engines such as Bing, Ask or Google. Each online degree program will offer information on accreditation. The accrediting agency must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Tip: Employment in the web development field is projected to increase by 38% for the 2008-2018 decade. This means aspiring web developers will vie for roughly 15,000 job openings each year. To stand out from the crowd, many of today’s web developers aim for a master’s degree or higher. 16% of the workforce has a master’s degree and nearly 5% hold a doctorate or first professional degree. These individuals typically earn more than $103,000 per year.
