Adult male student at office work station smiling at camera

Web Design & Development Online Bachelor’s Degree Program

can be completed in as little as

14 terms*

*2 terms per semester; each term is 7 weeks

Tuition

$335/credit

$1,005 3-credit course

Active Duty Military

truED Preferred Tuition

Credit Hours Required

Summer Term 1 Application Deadline

April 25

Upcoming Start Dates

Summer 1: May 6

Summer 2: July 1

Explore Web Design & Development

Capitalize on the growing demand for web designers and developers with an integrated degree online web development degree. Champlain's bachelor's in web design and development degree will give you the tools you need to marry creative design with back-end programming, and give you the confidence to launch or advance your career in this dynamic field.

 

Build Your Career Future

With an integrated approach that encompasses all aspects of the field, including programming, design, e-commerce, and infrastructure, our online web development degree will help you build key technical skills (including knowledge of over 32 key applications, platforms, and programming languages, listed below) in addition to in-demand soft skills such as problem-solving and communication. You'll also have the opportunity to differentiate your web design and development degree and gain subject matter expertise through a certificate in a specialization of your choice in Web Design or Web Programming, just work with your advisor to learn how. With a foundation of business savvy and subject matter expertise, you'll be prepared to tackle new and emerging trends in the field.

Fast Start Formula Career Bundle

Propel your career even further with our Fast Start Formula Career Bundle designed to get you noticed and get you hired. Gain access to the Fast Start Formula Career Course, the Landing A Job You'll Love Ebook, and live webinars with "hot seat" coaching by Executive Career Coach Jen Morris.

Take the next step

Academic Excellence and Recognition

Intelligent.com ranks Champlain College Online among best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees

Designated among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com

Ranked among the most affordable online web development bachelor's degrees

Ranked among the Most Affordable Bachelor's in Web Development programs

Ranked among best online web development bachelor's degrees

Ranked among the Best Colleges For Value for Web Development Bachelor's Degrees

US News & World Report Best Online Bachelor's Degree Programs

Consistently ranked among the Best Online Programs by US News & World Report

What Can You Do With a Web Design & Development Degree?

Web development careers are expected to grow 13% between 2020 and 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual salary for web developers is $77,200.*

The high demand for web design and development services across the business world means that job opportunities are available in virtually any industry, including computer systems design, creative services, finance and insurance, education, and nonprofits.

*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2020; job titles: ComputerScience.org, 2020

Top Jobs for Bachelor's in Web Design & Development Graduates

  • Computer Programmer
  • Front End Developer
  • Graphic Designer
  • Web Developer
  • Web Designer
  • UX Designer
Web design and development online bachelor's degree graduate collaborating with colleague in front of computer

Program Details

Learn more about Champlain's 100% online web design & development bachelor's degree, designed for working professionals.

Champlain's online web development degree courses encompass the top skills needed by today's web professionals. Graduates of the online web development degree program are required to complete the following courses.

Professional Courses (60 credits)

Technical Electives (6 credits)

General Education Courses (42 credits)

General Electives (12 credits) 

Note: Some of the courses in this program are available in 15-week terms only. Please contact your advisor for details.   

Professional Courses (60 Credits):

Today's high-quality digital images are as much art as they are science. In this course, students learn to use Adobe Photoshop to prepare and create images for web use. Hands-on activities develop familiarity with tools like eyedropper and quick mask, but also challenge students to create vector shapes and incorporate typography into the design of an ebook cover. Students also must create an email campaign and redesign a web site to specifications.

Great websites are created with specific audiences in mind and are the culmination of a process that includes creating messaging and developing a strategy that maps out the best content and functionality to reach the audience and influence its behavior. In this course, students begin with a SWOT analysis and development of a mission statement, and then create a sitemap and content, before publishing a website and blog.

Websites must balance technology with aesthetics. In this course, students study web design patterns and personas, and then create a wireframe storyboard with at least four panels designed for a standard desktop view. Students use Mockups 3.

Prerequisites

Complete WEBD-110 and WEBD-125

Understanding financial statements and how to interpret them is important to all those working in businesses. In this course students learn the relationship among financial statements; study how to interpret this information and to apply this understanding in real-world contexts; and learn how to use financial information to help make sound management decisions.

Time to take a website to the next level? Just add audio and video to make it media-rich. First, though, take this course to learn how to utilize Bootstrap and recognize good use of responsive design. Then, create or implement animation using tools such as CSS3 Animation, Web Animations API or HTML5.

Prerequisites

WEBD-110, WEBD-225, WEBD-330

Websites have three functions - to facilitate, enable and persuade - and are only useful if they can connect people and achieve definite goals. In this course, students learn to understand the concept of usability, and the roles of interaction, users, communication and collaboration as well as how to evaluate usability, and observe and test users.

Prerequisites

WEBD-215 OR SDEV-230

From day one, students in this course are problem solving, first in terms of algorithmic design and then as early as week two via programming in the latest version of Python, using PyCharm. Students begin by writing a program to have a conversation, having strings and numbers as input, and advance, by week seven, to building a working password saver program, capable of looking up, adding (and encrypting), and storing passwords.

From storyboard to form creation, students walk through the steps to create a basic four to five-page website to specification in this course that introduces HTML5 and CSS. Hands-on assignments reinforce skills development and best practices in design: navigation, column layout, image editing and usage, fonts and tables.

Learn the basics and more in this course on Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and SQL (Structured Query Language). Students propose a final project in the first module and then work, week-by-week, to design, create, and populate the database. Then, students learn to create queries and stored procedures.

Prerequisites

CMIT-135

Students who want to build database-driven or interactive web sites benefit from this course which covers PHP and MySQL along with how to build sites that incorporate authentication and security. Each week hands-on assignments are used to reinforce concepts. Students advance from an introduction to PHP and basic syntax, to handling user input and manipulating arrays in web forms to queries.

Prerequisites

WEBD-125, CMIT-200

Hands-on learning begins in week one when students must create a Pen in CodePen before they can submit a short program written in Javascript and continues through the final project in which students produce a web application that contains specific elements. Functions, objects, and events, but also DOM (Document Object Model), AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML), and JSON (Javascript Object Notation), are presented in this course.

Prerequisites

WEBD-225, CMIT-135

Complex web page designs fully utilized all the functionality provided by the browser. In this course, students complete a variety of hands-on assignments as part of a redesign of an existing site. One week they recreate a page using appropriate HTML5 tags, while in another they implement drag and drop functionality that must work when the site is displayed in the Chrome browser. Later in the course, students animate transitions and build a basic responsive version of the site.

Prerequisites

WEBD-125

Explores the world of e-commerce from a business-to-consumer perspective. Case studies of both successful and unsuccessful e-commerce efforts will be studied. Students will complete a project in analyzing, evaluating, and implementing a working e-commerce website, and will have the option to use a content management system or their own programming skills to build it.

Provides an in-depth exploration of the largest and most important aspect of Internet commerce: Business-to-Business. Case studies and current events combine to illustrate the full integration of Internet technologies into business at every level from manufacturing, supply chain and inventory management to customer relationships.

This course provides students with an understanding of the many different devices and technologies, from historical to emerging, that are required to design and build networks. In a broad survey of concepts and terminology, students will learn about topology, communications, protocols, and security, and to diagram basic networks to specification.

This course, through guided research and hands-on learning experiences, provides students with an understanding of operating systems, including their core fundamental principles and how they work. Students are introduced to the three most popular operating systems for personal computers (Windows, OSX and Linux), and mobile operating systems, and learn about standard functions such as memory, process/thread, input/output, storage and device management.

This course examines web servers from the page "in" rather than website design, which is from the page "out". Students learn the differences between TCP and UDP, gain an understanding of XML, and build a use case for a course enrollment system. Hands-on labs allow students to use ping and traceroute, and create XAMPP alias directories.

Prerequisites

CMIT-130, CMIT-140

This is a course on how to find and exploit vulnerabilities in systems. While discussing the ethical and legal framework of these activities, students will use Google search techniques (a.k.a. Google Hacking), online applications, including Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA), and Champlain’s virtual environments equipped with Kali Linux, Metasploitable, Nessus, Nexpose, NMAP, Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), W3AF, Burp, and Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks (a.k.a. SATAN), among other tools.

Prerequisites

Take CMIT-135,WEBD-125 and WEBD-220 or CYBR-210

Students will be challenged to showcase new and previously acquired web design and development knowledge and skills in this scenario-based course meant to simulate the start-to-finish process of working with a client to build and deliver a fully-featured web site. Students will utilize written and oral communication, content creation, programming and database management skill sets in this 15-week practicum.

Prerequisites

Must have completed 90 credits.

Choose One:

Project Management is the formal application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project-based activities to meet organizational requirements. Project management is accomplished through the use of processes such as Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. Project managers can divide projects into these phases to provide better management control with appropriate links to the ongoing operations of the organization. Collectively, these phases, known as the project life cycle, form the foundation for the practice of project management and are guided by the Body of Knowledge from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Project schedules allow managers, team members, and stakeholders to track progress, set and manage expectations, communicate, control costs, and collaborate. Tasks and deliverables can be monitored and controlled to ensure timely delivery-and if any delays do occur, project managers can easily gauge their impact and make the necessary adjustments. Central to the schedule is a detailed understanding of the project budget, and working to control costs and manage stakeholder expectations.

Prerequisites

Take MGMT-260

Written Communication

Complete the following two courses:

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience

This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-100

Oral Communication

Complete the following course:

This course draws on fundamental concepts of contemporary communication research to help students identify and develop strategies to become effective and versatile communicators across media and settings. Students will examine and respond to a range of interpersonal situations through the critical evaluation of the three essential components of all communication: its purpose, audience, and context. Students will leave the course with the ability to reflect on and adapt their strategies to successfully and consistently communicate for a range of purposes across diverse settings.

Collaboration

Complete the following course:

This course draws on fundamental concepts of contemporary group communication research to help students identify and develop strategies to communicate effectively in small groups and teams for the cooperative purpose of advancing common goals. Students will draw on listening and responding strategies learned in COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication and apply them to communicating as a leader or member of a small group. They will also learn how to recognize and manage the types of conflicts that can arise in small groups. Prerequisite: COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Inquiry & Analysis

Complete the following course:

Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-110.

Technology Literacy

Complete one of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course:

This course is an historical overview, and examination of the evolution of digital, film, and print media, and their functions. Students will identify and analyze contemporary problems of the media such as the legal, social, economic and psychological implications of their relationships with society. They also will examine the ways in which marketing and PR professionals utilize the mass media channels to reach their intended target audiences.

This course explores the complex and evolving relationship between human beings and technology. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, students will examine the ways in which technology has shaped human culture, identity, and values, as well as how humans have influenced and continue to influence the development, adoption and use of technology.

Quantitative Literacy

Complete the following two courses:

Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.

Accurate and appropriate visual data representation is increasingly critical in today's work environments. Students will develop skills in data organization, manipulation and interpretation in a way that supports data-driven decision-making and effective communication of numerical data

Scientific Literacy: Natural Sciences

Complete one of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course:

Introduces students to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and exercise. Emphasis will be placed on human body systems such as musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory, and their relationship to nutrition and fitness. Students will also study the biochemistry of energy conversion as it relates to exercise physiology. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students learn the biology, genetics, chemistry, and physics involved in the forensic investigation of crimes. A wide range of topics are studied including DNA, entomology, fingerprinting, trace evidence, serology (blood, saliva, and semen), blood spatter, and chemical analysis of drugs, alcohol, and other compounds. Students apply their new knowledge of forensic science through the use of case studies and laboratories. This course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students will develop the ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information based on its source and the methods used for its generation.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Global/Cultural Understanding

Complete the following course:

This course will introduce students to major streams of social justice thought, including historical social justice movements, theoretical problems having to do with social equality, personal freedom, marginalization, and stigmatization, and the ways in which civic and professional communities respond to these issues.

Arts & Humanities

Complete any two of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course(s):

With pressure and release, a window opens and closes, recording light on a sensor. The simple action captures the instinct, judgement, and skill of the person behind the lens. This class will begin a study of the art and craft of photography. Students will develop their vision and their understanding of how to achieve it. Solid skills will be learned and many doors will be opened.

A survey of the continuing change experienced in art since the 15th century. Students will examine how an image is achieved as well as the significance of the subject represented. Individual inquiry concerning the nature of art is encouraged.

Students learn to appreciate films through the critical analysis of various elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. The course introduces the conventions of classical Hollywood cinema, considers the work of one major director (auteur), and surveys selected international and independent films. Students view and discuss films each week.

Students in the course will explore the cultural history of the music genre broadly referred to as rock. Students will explore the social, economic and political contexts that are influenced by and that influenced each style in the United States. By listening, watching, reflecting upon, discussing and writing, students will explore how music takes on meaning, personally, and culturally. Topics and themes include the relationships between and among gospel, country, funk, folk, disco, rap and hip hop; the role of business and technology in those relationships, and political or transgressive elements of rock music.

Students will apply communication theory and research to address the particular challenges to communicating effectively in organizations. Students will learn how to identify organizational communication problems, analyze those problems, and generate effective solutions. Students will examine the relationship between organizational structure and specific communicative practices, and how communication practices by organizational members establish, maintain, or change organizational culture. They will also learn how to anticipate communication deficiencies in organizations, and use communication as a means to facilitate organizational development and innovation.

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Specific application of common tools for writing in the working world. Students will be instructed in rhetorical strategies of professional writing including style, report formats, editing, document design, and integration of visual aids. Students will complete a semester-long writing project; oral and written reports associated with the process of problem-solving within the project will be included.

Prerequisites

ENGL-112 or COR-125

Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.

Ethics refers to accepted standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do in various contexts, typically in relation to rights, obligations/duties, benefits to society, fairness, consequences, and virtues. In this course, students will explore both theoretical and practical dimensions of ethics in order to 1) define ethics and identify ethical positions and principles, 2) critically reflect on how ethics impacts individual and collective responsibility, decision-making, and action, and 3) apply ethics to the personal, civic, and professional contexts.

Prerequisites

ENGL-110

This course introduces students to the fundamental elements of technical writing (clear, concise, and targeted)that are common among seven forms of technical communication: email correspondence, editing,employment communication, proposals, long, formal reports,oral communication, and inventions. Through peer reviews and writing workshops, students develop the ability to write and edit text that precisely targets its audience. This course emphasizes deepening and broadening students' writing, speaking, and thinking abilities in a non-lecture-based, hands-on, discussion-centered classroom.

Prerequisites

ENGL-112 or COR-125

Social Sciences

Complete any two of the following, unless your program requires a specific course(s):

Provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law. Students will learn the essential elements of crimes and the rationale underlying criminal law. The nature of jurisdiction, the criminal act, the criminal state of mind and matters affecting responsibility for criminal conduct are included.

This course focuses on the rules and procedures governing how the American criminal justice system must process individuals suspected, accused, and convicted of law violations.

This course provides students with a broad overview of the history, theory, and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Students are introduced to the basic responsibilities of investigators and protocols for report writing, evidence collection, and preparation of cases for trial. They also learn specific investigative techniques for different types of crimes, such as crimes involving violence and property, terrorism, and hate crimes, and, where appropriate, compare investigative protocols from other legal cultures.

Prerequisites

Take CRIM-120, CRIM-121.

Principles of Economics introduces the fundamental concepts of economics - the study of how people manage resources, and how they react to scarcity. This course focuses on both microeconomics (the behavior of consumers and companies) and macroeconomics (large-scale economic factors such as employment and interest rates), so that you'll gain a broad understanding of how a modern market economy functions, how decisions in business settings are informed by economics, and how economics applies to your everyday life.

Students will study important themes in the social history of the United States since the Civil War. This course allows students to expand their critical thinking skills through an examination of primary and secondary sources. Themes might include: the evolving status of women; the immigrant experience; the concept of the American dream; the paradox of freedom vs. slavery; the minority experience; the tensions between social classes. Students will be evaluated primarily on writing assignments.

In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.

In this class, students will explore how social relationships, groups, societies and culture develop and change over time. From a sociological theory foundation and employing the sociological imagination, students will examine the impact of social structures, institutions, and systems on individual lives. Students will apply sociological research methods to investigate sociological phenomena in their own lives.

Graduates of the web design & development bachelor's online program will demonstrate the following industry-specific skills, knowledge, and competencies:

  • Employ fundamental computer theory to basic programming techniques.
  • Use fundamental skills to maintain web server services required to host a website.
  • Select and apply markup languages for processing, identification and presentation of information in web pages.
  • Use scripting languages and web services to transfer data and add interactive components to web pages.
  • Create and manipulate web media objects using editing software.
  • Incorporate aesthetics and formal concepts of layout and organization to design websites that effectively communicate using visual elements.
  • Conceptualize and plan an internet-based business that applies appropriate business models and web technologies.
  • Combine multiple web technologies to create advanced web components.
  • Design websites using appropriate security principles, focusing specifically upon the vulnerabilities inherent in common web implementations.
  • Incorporate best practices in navigation, usability and written content to design websites that give users easy access to the information they seek.

Earn a specialized certificate in a concentration of your choice as you pursue your degree, so you can build credentials as you go. Speak with your academic advisor as soon as you can, they can help get you on the proper pathway to reach your goal.  

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML)
  • Bootstrap
  • Burp
  • CodePen
  • CSS
  • CSS3 Animation
  • Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA)
  • DOM (Document Object Model)
  • Google Hacking
  • HTML5
  • Javascript
  • JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
  • Kali Linux
  • Metasploitable
  • Mockups 3
  • MySQL
  • Nessus
  • Nexpose
  • NMAP
  • PHP
  • Ping
  • Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks (SATAN)
  • TCP
  • traceroute
  • UDP
  • VMware
  • W3AF
  • Web Animations API
  • XAMPP
  • XML
  • Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

Champlain College Online's web design & development faculty, led by Program Director Richard Pickering, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our web development curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s web design & development professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the field, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.

Alumni of the Champlain College Online bachelor's in web design and development program work in corporations, small businesses, government organizations, and nonprofits nationwide, including:

  • Berklee College of Music
  • BioTek Instruments 
  • Country Home Products
  • Ibec Creative
  • Geographic Data Technology, Inc.
  • Holland Cable Commission
  • ICF International 
  • Jarvis Web Design
  • KDVR/KWGN
  • Oreck
  • SEG Universe
  • TD Bank
  • Vermont Air National Guard 

 

Titles our alumni hold include:

  • Digital Mapping Technician
  • Front-End Web Developer 
  • General Manager
  • Knowledge Manager
  • News Editor 
  • Senior Instructional Designer 
  • Software Quality Assurance Engineer
  • Web Content Administrator
  • Web Developer
  • Web Solutions Technical Manager

Many students come to us seeking ways to get noticed at their current employers or to get hired in a new field. Given that, we are hyper focused on increasing the career mobility of our students and that's why we developed the Fast Start Formula Career Bundle, a suite of career offerings designed to help our students get noticed, get hired and land jobs they'll love.

Valued at over $1,000, the career bundle is offered to Champlain College Online students and includes:

  • Fast Start Formula Course: The Fast Start Formula Course for getting noticed and getting hired is taught by Jen Morris, an executive career coach that we've developed a partnership with to support our students in their job search journeys. This course is online, self-paced and full of tips and tricks to land a job you'll love.
  • Live Webinars: Log-on to ask your specific job search questions, get live “hot seat” coaching and gain valuable insights from leading career coach, Jen Morris.
  • Landing A Job You'll Love Ebook: Download this ebook full of tips and tricks for standing out from the competition. From how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, to insider information on how recruiters work and bypassing the automated application websites, you’ll be sure to learn how to rise to the top.

Upon enrollment in a degree or certificate, your access to the Fast Start Formula Career Bundle will made available to you.

Tuition & Costs

Online Undergraduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '24

$335 per credit
$1,005* per course
$290** per credit for alumni who earned a degree from Champlain, on-campus or online
$250 per credit for military service members (family members see truED tuition)
$150 One-time graduation fee

*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits

** Starts Summer 2024, not retroactive 

See the undergraduate cost of attendance and fees here

What To Expect at Champlain Online

Expect Convenience

Go to school wherever and whenever is best for you, on the device of your choice.

Expect A Career Focus

Relevant and immediately applicable coursework gets you ready for your next career move

Expect Support

Your dedicated academic advisor provides the support you need to meet your academic goals

Expect Superior Faculty

Learn from practitioner faculty working in the field, with real-world experience and knowledge.

Why Champlain

Christian Ntsiba, Bachelor's Degree in Cybersecurity

Online Experience

"Studying at Champlain Online was a long-sought opportunity for me to get a formal and complete education in IT. I appreciated the school's virtual environment, and the small class sizes allowed better and easier interaction with the professors."

Christian Ntsiba Bachelor's Degree in Cybersecurity
IT Developer, Advisor360°

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