Undergraduate Certificate Comics Studies

The Comics Studies Program at Portland State University draws from theory and hands-on practice, preparing participants to work in the field of comics and cartoon art as writers, artists, and scholars.

Portland is particularly well known as the home of numerous artists, authors, scholars, and publishers specializing in comic art, and this program seeks to enhance ties with the local comics community.

Comics Studies Program at Portland State University is a vibrant, dynamic program on the cutting edge of contemporary literature and art practice that serves our students, our mission as a university, and our local community.

Portland is the one of the largest hubs for comics in the country. Dark Horse Comics, Inc., founder and president, Mark Richardson, didn’t just get his degree at PSU, he also chose the PSU library as the home for the Dark Horse Comics archives.

In addition to Dark Horse Comics, the Portland area is home to Oni Press, Image Comics, Milkfed Criminal Masterminds and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Career

Comics studies graduates have received positions working for Dark Horse and Oni Press, while others have gone on to additional graduate study. Graduates of our program are taking what they learned at PSU and getting jobs doing what they love in Portland and beyond, as comics artists, writers, and scholars. Portland is one of the true creative hubs of the entire art form, and Portland State is a natural fit for cultivating young aspiring comics writers and artists.