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Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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

11 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.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

Check out the design associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Alexandria Technical & Community College the best school in the Plains States Region for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. ATCC is a small public school located in the remote town of Alexandria.

After completing their Associate Degree, design graduates from ATCC carry an average student debtload of $14,460.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Alexandria Technical & Community College Report

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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#3

Bismarck State College

Bismarck, ND

The excellent associate degree programs at Bismarck State College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Plains States Region . BSC is a small public school located in the small city of Bismarck.

On average, design graduates from BSC take out $12,189 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Bismarck State College Report

#4

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

The excellent associate degree programs at Johnson County Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, design graduates from JCCC carry an average student debtload of $14,972.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Johnson County Community College

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Metropolitan Community College is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Omaha, MCC is a public school with a large student population.

On average, design graduates from MCC take out $13,937 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Metropolitan Community College Report

#6

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

Century College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Century College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of White Bear Lake.

While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at Century College accumulate an average of around $18,527 in student debt.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Century College

With a ranking of #7, Des Moines Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at DMACC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,657.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Des Moines Area Community College

#8

Washburn University

Topeka, KS

Washburn University 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 #8 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Topeka, Washburn University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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With a ranking of #9, Minneapolis Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Design majors at Minneapolis Community and Technical College take out an average of $30,566 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Minneapolis Community and Technical College Report

#10

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO

Saint Louis Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Saint Louis Community College is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Saint Louis Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,318.

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Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 432
Minnesota 533
Kansas 229
Iowa 481
Nebraska 223
North Dakota 36
South Dakota 57

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 11 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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