Universities for Graphic Design/ Visual Communication?

How can I chose a suitable grad school in the US? I'm a visual communication design student in China. Should I chose a graphic design school or apply for visual art?

• I am a student from China. And my predicament is that my teacher told me that it is hard to get a offer for graphic design because this major is very well developed in the US and possesses a comparatively longer history than that in China. It might be easier for me to apply for visual art because I may be able to show the professor my ability to create things, and hide my insufficient graphic expertise.

• Answer:

  It all depends upon your career objectives: are you interested in a career in academia exclusively or purely commercial.  Generally, I would recommend graduate programs in cities with a robust Arts industry, mainly New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco.  Miami, Boston and Dallas are some other options, although not as good as the first three. I would also study the faculty of those schools and investigate who among them has similar career paths that speak to your interests.  Graduate school is about learning, but more importantly, it's also about developing relationships with key people who can introduce you into the industry circles where you can begin to establish a career.  Graduate advisors, in general, are more keen to support their students who they view as having similar interests--so make sure you really do  thorough research on the faculty to where you apply!  I hope this helps.  Good luck.