How Do You Become a Web Master?

There are countless ways to become a web master. Individuals who are tech savvy and naturally talented may simply teach themselves web design and find employment based on their amateur portfolio. Client expectations, industry demands and technology complexity continue to rapidly grow, so web masters should have a technical degree from an accredited institution. Fortunately, there are many two-year degree programs in web design and development available through online schools and community colleges. The following degrees will help job seekers secure a job in web design and web development, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Earn a Web Design Degree

A web design degree will teach students how to create everything from traditional HTML-based web pages to web-based applications. These degrees prepare students for careers as web masters, designers, developers and programmers. These programs teach students how to understand design requirements to create unique user experiences. Students learn about client-server, cloud-based and information architecture solutions. These degree programs prepare students to understand the different needs of both website and mobile app users.

Classes in website design and management explore the best practices in information architecture, user-centered design and cascading style sheets. Students learn the foundations and applications of planning, building and maintaining a website. Advanced website development classes explore web programming and client-side web technologies. Webpage design classes help students appreciate the importance of psychology and human factors engineering. Classes on web enabled information system design review the database and programming principles of web application development.

Earn a Programming Degree

Anyone who wants to become a web master may choose a programming degree that will provide more career options. These degrees will introduce students to Python concepts and scripting environments. Students will learn about similar open-source scripting languages that are used to automate redundant tasks, streamline workflows and manage syntax and errors. Classes on object-oriented program introduce the basics of analysis, modeling and design for object-oriented software. Programming debugging coursework helps students learn how to test, verify, evolve and modify software.

Students learn about the project management phases of object-oriented development. Students may elect to study database design and programming, which covers logical phases, conceptual tools, relationship modeling, data normalization and Structured Query Language (SQL) programming. These degree programs may offer electives in text-based, markup languages like XML. Students will learn how to provide structural and semantic information to data applications.

Earn a Computer Science Degree

As a final alternative, future web masters who want to work on the business side of web development may simply choose to general computer science degree. This degree will provide the most career diversity while allowing students to select as many web design electives as possible. Students may choose to study website architecture, so they will know how to integrate information goals and web infrastructure requirements together in order to support overall business objectives. These classes will introduce students to architectural systems and frameworks that drive business decisions.

Students may choose to study enterprise and management information systems in order to understand the tools and methodologies used to track, extract and translate data. A computer science degree will allow students to take electives in operating systems, database systems, hardware components, server networks and telecommunications systems. Classes on application security teach students how to maintain data integrity throughout the website development life cycle.

Related Resource: Web Frameworks

Anyone who wants to become a web master may also choose to pursue a degree in mobile website design, so they will know how to enhance and manipulate browser displays, business applications and website technology.