What courses should I take to learn web design?

I have the opprotunity to go back to school for just a few courses and would like to learn web design. I've created blogs and know some html, but not much beyond that. What should I take? What's essential and what isn't? There are a mountain of courses, so if I could just chose 4, what should I look for?

What courses should I take to learn web design?
Let us distinguish between web design and web development.





Though in the Software Development Lifecycle the design (the big picture) and development (the nitty-gritty) phases are codependent, when we refer to 'web design' versus 'web development' as trades we mean that web design is considerably more focused on presentational elements while development is considerably more focused on the application elements of a web site.





I am a web developer, and will show you what classes and materials are necessary to succeed as either a designer or developer.





Developers need to understand the desktop operating system, which is reason to get an A+ certification, though the hardware background is unnecessary to fill most development positions. These certifications run at about $200, but you may find the tests challenging to pass.





Developers need to understand basic networking principles and practice. For this reason, you may want to look into a Network+ certification. The same caveat about the tests goes for the Network+.





Developers need a solid, thorough, and complete understanding of a server-side discipline like ASP Classic and ASP.NET with C# or VB, or PHP, or JSP and Java.





Developers need a solid, thorough, and complete understanding of a client-side scripting language such as JavaScript.





Developers need an master-level understanding of HTML and XHTML.





Developers should have an expert-level understanding of CSS.





Developers should have a master-level understanding of XML, XPath and the XML DOM, but can get away with a more facile understanding of XSL.





Developers must have a practiced understanding of relational databases, classes and objects in programming, and systems modeling and design.





Developers should have a master-level understanding of a web server, such as IIS or Apache Tomcat.





Developers should know how to create simple Flash elements and images with a drawing software.





Developers should dabble into C++ and VB.NET.





Developers should thoroughly understand web standards and accessibility issues.





On the other hand, designers should...





--Have an master-level understanding of HTML, XHTML, CSS, Flash, and a drawing software such as FireWorks or PhotoShop.





--Feel capable with the basic practices of XML and relational databases.





--Have an expert-level understanding of JavaScript.





--Have a solid understanding of a server-side language.





--Thoroughly understand web standards and accessibility issues.





There's no best way to achieve these skills, as everyone's paths are different. However, here are some options:





A bachelors of science degree in computer science or a closely related field like computer information systems or management information systems (more strongly recommended for developers) that includes the mentioned skillset. Internships help.





An associates degree supplemented by some work experience as an intern (more strongly recommended for designers). This may be more appropriate for you, as you may only take a few courses.





A lot of courage, a workstation, a mentor, and a nearby library ;-)





Hope this helps you develop a better and broader sense,





Robert
Reply:buy some books about HTML(XHTML)(I know one of the best,s for beginning,


ISBN:(0-7356-2263-0) it's perfect.


and books for java scripts(here is another good one,


ISBN: (0764588745) it must be good,I just saw the rating


these are the basics


you can also learn front page and flash if you like( these are useful)
Reply:try this: AceHTML.PRO.v6.5-GRACO.rar





http://d01.megashares.com/?d01=efe7e816a...
Reply:Check with your local Colleges and Tech Schools... They can give you that information
Reply:check this out nd decide for urself :)





http://www.pcworkathome.net
Reply:You should learn Adobe Photoshop. Its the standard graphics software to create graphics for your website, editing photos and optimizing graphics for the web(e.g. smaller file size). I usually use dreamweaver to create websites. So you can use Photoshop and Dreamweaver together. You should also learn the basics on how to upload a website to the server using ftp software. Other software you can learn is Flash.
Reply:Basic HTML and Java Script followed by a class in Dreamweaver. That will get you started.
Reply:Its a balance of form and function... Take art and graphic design for the visual aspects of web design and HTML, Flash and related programing for the technical aspects of it.





In my experience, it is often two people that design the web site. One for the look, one for the fuction.