2021 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate's Degree School for You
Design & Applied Arts is the #35 most popular major in the country with 36,179 degrees and certificates awarded in 2018-2019.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 87 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best associate's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2021 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the design associate's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Associate's Degree Schools
Our 2021 rankings named Sessions College for Professional Design the best school in the United States for design and applied arts students working on their associate’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, Sessions College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their Associate's Degree, design graduates from Sessions College carry an average student debtload of $18,562.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Advertising Art Educational Services DBA School of Advertising Art. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Kettering, Advertising Art Educational Services DBA School of Advertising Art is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Alexandria Technical & Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools list. ATCC is a small public school located in the remote town of Alexandria.
After completing their Associate's Degree, design graduates from ATCC carry an average student debtload of $10,172. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $125.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The New School. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools list. New School University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at New School University take out while working on their Associate's Degree is $14,851. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $153, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Interior Designers Institute is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their associate’s degree. Interior Designers Institute is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Newport Beach.
On average, design graduates from Interior Designers Institute take out $20,966 in student loans while working on their Associate's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $229.
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Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, FIT SUNY is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Associate's Degree, design graduates from FIT SUNY carry an average student debtload of $11,511. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $125.
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New England Institute of Technology came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of East Greenwich, New England Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their Associate's Degree, design graduates from New England Tech carry an average student debtload of $16,618. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $150.
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Rasmussen College - Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Ocala, Rasmussen College - Florida is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Rasmussen College - Florida Report
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With a ranking of #9, Century College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate’s degree. Century College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake.
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Rochester Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. RIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Rochester.
On average, design graduates from RIT take out $17,952 in student loans while working on their Associate's Degree.
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With a ranking of #11, Waukesha County Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate’s degree. Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their Associate's Degree, design majors at WCTC accumulate an average of around $15,271 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $148.
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With a ranking of #12, Arapahoe Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate’s degree. Arapahoe Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Littleton.
Design majors at Arapahoe Community College take out an average of $14,637 in student loans while working on their Associate's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $134.
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Johnson County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at JCCC take out while working on their Associate's Degree is $11,872. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $119.
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Here are some additional great schools for Design & Applied Arts students that almost earned our Best Design & Applied Arts Associate's Degree Schools award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
14 | Dakota County Technical College | Rosemount, MN |
15 | Pratt Institute - Main | Brooklyn, NY |
16 | FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
17 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
Design & Applied Arts by Region
View the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Region |
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Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 9 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Design
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Fine & Studio Arts | 40,751 |
Music | 26,968 |
Drama & Theater Arts | 17,726 |
Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,756 |
General Visual & Performing Arts | 5,720 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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