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Studies & Degrees in Interactive Design

Interactive design, also called interaction design, is the design of digital products that people use rather than simply look at: websites, mobile apps, software interfaces, games, kiosks, and virtual and augmented reality experiences. The designer decides how a product is organised, what it looks like and how it responds to the user. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes digital designers as the people who develop, create and test website or interface layout, functions and navigation for usability.

The subject sits between graphic design, computing and psychology. ERAM, a university centre in Salt (Girona) attached to the Universitat de Girona, lists the following areas under interaction design: web design, interactive audiovisuals, multimedia applications, virtual reality, augmented reality, user interfaces (UI), user experience (UX), transmedia and digital product design. Students learn visual fundamentals such as typography, layout and colour, then user research, prototyping and testing, and enough coding to build and try out what they design.

Qualifications and levels

  • University degrees in Spain. Interactive design is usually a pathway inside a broader degree. The Grado en Comunicación Audiovisual y Multimedia at ERAM is an official university degree of four academic years and 240 ECTS credits, taught on campus in Catalan, Spanish and English, with 40 places. Students who work can follow a five-year itinerary. U-tad, in Las Rozas near Madrid, offers a Grado en Diseño Digital on campus and online, taught in Spanish.
  • Higher art education in Spain. Design is also taught outside the universities, at escuelas superiores de diseño. Royal Decree 633/2010 sets four academic years of 60 credits each, 240 credits in total, with four specialities: graphic, product, interior and fashion design. The resulting qualifications are official and valid throughout Spain. Interactive work is not a speciality of its own, so ask the school which speciality covers it.
  • Vocational training in Spain. The Técnico Superior en Animaciones 3D, Juegos y Entornos Interactivos is a higher-level vocational qualification (grado superior) of 2,000 hours in the Image and Sound family. Programming-oriented students often choose the Técnico Superior en Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Multiplataforma instead, which CEU FP Madrid, for example, offers.
  • United States. The Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic and Interactive Design, which runs from branding and typography to motion design and augmented and virtual reality, and a separate BFA in User Experience and User Interface Design. Community colleges such as Alamance Community College offer associate's degrees, certificates and diplomas.
  • Short and private courses. Design schools and online providers run shorter UX and UI courses. These are often the school's own certificates, so ask the school what recognition the qualification has.

According to the BLS, educational requirements for web developers and digital designers in the United States range from a high school diploma to a bachelor's degree, and employers of digital designers may prefer a bachelor's degree in web design, digital design or graphic arts. A portfolio of finished work is expected at every level.

Where to study interactive design

SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for interactive design. Five are in Spain and three in the United States; the United Kingdom, Singapore and Italy have one each.

The Spanish schools are U-tad in Las Rozas, ERAM in Salt, IED Madrid, CEU FP Madrid and ESAT in Valencia. In the United States the directory lists Temple University in Philadelphia, Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and Alamance Community College in North Carolina. The other schools are the University of Gloucestershire in England, First Media Design School in Singapore and Accademia Riaci in Florence.

Teaching in Spain is mostly in Spanish. ERAM also teaches in Catalan and English, and schools in the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore teach in English. Check the language of each programme before applying.

Careers

Graduates work as UX designers, UI designers, interaction designers, web designers, digital product designers and multimedia developers. Employers include software and design studios, advertising agencies, publishers, game companies and the digital teams of larger organisations, and many designers are self-employed. For the Spanish vocational qualification, the education ministry's TodoFP portal lists roles such as developer of multimedia audiovisual applications and products and editor of interactive multimedia content, in interactive multimedia, advertising and internet companies.

The BLS groups these jobs under web developers and digital designers. It counted 220,100 jobs in the United States in 2025 and projects employment growth of 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,600 openings a year. The figures apply to the United States only.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between interactive design and graphic design?

Graphic design deals with visual communication in print and on screen. Interactive design adds behaviour: how a website, app or device responds to the user, how navigation works and whether the product is easy to use.

Do I need to know how to code?

Not to start, but programmes usually teach some coding so that students can build prototypes. The degree of programming varies from design-led degrees to development-led vocational courses.

How long does a degree take in Spain?

An official university degree such as the one at ERAM takes four academic years and 240 ECTS credits. The higher-level vocational qualification in 3D animation, games and interactive environments has 2,000 hours.

How many schools teach interactive design in Spain?

The SpainExchange directory lists five active schools in Spain for this subject, out of 11 worldwide.