It's been done, and they usually end up in some sort of law for creatives--copyright is a big one.
Under the Visual Arts major, You would Take graphic design classes
One would be a degree in graphic design.
The 27" iMac is excellent for graphic design. The ultimate would be the Mac Pro paired with a 27" LED Mac Monitor.
Your best option for a graphic design training school is online. I would suggest trying out the courses at University of Phoenix.
Design professionals, graphic designers, photographers...
arsam
How did you decide to become a graphic designer? What was your first graphic design job? What advice would you give to aspiring designers? What is your favorite piece of design you've done? How do you stay creative?
I would recommend going to an art school like the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. There she will learn all things art and graphic design related.
Creative freedom/expression
The HP workstations will work great for graphic design in education, but any workstation will be adequate.
All colleges would include all types of Universities and Junior/Communities. Graphic design classes are available in most community colleges across the nation. The main reason a college may not carry graphic design classes would be simply lack of budget or interest from its constituants.
The difference is what you want to be. Graphic Design would help you be a better graphic designer or a production artist. Advertising Design would help you better to be an art director or creative director. The difference is that advertising design would likely deal with the copywriting aspect of the field as well as the design. But with experience comes a director's position. Some people like creative designing as well as writing; some don't care. Good writing is as effective as an effective design, so I like the advertising design aspect.