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Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

15 Colleges
$23,224 Avg Salary
$17,798 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree School for You

Design & Applied Arts is the #36 most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in the Southwest Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for design majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Scottsdale Community College to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the rural area of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at Scottsdale Community College accumulate an average of around $14,221 in student debt.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Scottsdale Community College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Collin County Community College District. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Collin County Community College District is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of McKinney.

While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at Collin County Community College District accumulate an average of around $14,236 in student debt.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Collin County Community College District Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Sessions College for Professional Design is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, Sessions College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Sessions College for Professional Design

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Austin Community College District is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Design majors at Austin Community College District take out an average of $20,482 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Austin Community College District Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. OSU Institute of Technology is a small public school located in the distant town of Okmulgee.

While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at OSU Institute of Technology accumulate an average of around $17,810 in student debt.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

With a ranking of #6, University of Advancing Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. University of Advancing Technology is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Advancing Technology Report

#7

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Design majors at El Centro College take out an average of $17,897 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at El Centro College

Texas State Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree design and applied arts programs. Located in the midsize city of Waco, TSTC is a public school with a large student population.

On average, design graduates from TSTC take out $15,284 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

The Art Institute of Dallas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. The Art Institute of Dallas is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Dallas.

Design majors at The Art Institute of Dallas take out an average of $23,480 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $241, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas Report

#10

Oklahoma City Community College

Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. OCCC is a large public school located in the city of Oklahoma City.

On average, design graduates from OCCC take out $12,300 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Oklahoma City Community College Report

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design and applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 1,449
Arizona 594
Oklahoma 211
New Mexico 30

One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 16,778
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 15 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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