2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's 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.
The Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 356 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best bachelor's 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.
Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Design & Applied Arts
Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the United States for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means The University of Texas at Austin is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at Georgia Tech accumulate an average of around $22,206 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report
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Lawrence Technological University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Southfield, Lawrence Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $21,060 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #8, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debtload of $14,718.
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Sacred Heart University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Sacred Heart is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Sacred Heart University Report
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #12 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
On average, design graduates from UIUC take out $21,307 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $501.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
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Luther College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.
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Texas Christian University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at TCU accumulate an average of around $21,441 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #15, Drake University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Purdue is a very large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.
The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $329, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The Modern College of Design came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Kettering, The Modern College of Design is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at UC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,382. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $365.
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University of Florida came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. UF is a fairly large public school located in the city of Gainesville.
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Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. OSU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Stillwater.
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Clemson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Clemson is a very large public school located in the suburb of Clemson.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Clemson take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,814. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $346, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Clemson University Report
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University of Pennsylvania ranked #23 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
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Boston University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
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Southern Methodist University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas.
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Additional Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 356 different United States design and applied arts schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 52 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 53 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 55 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 56 | Cogswell College | San Jose, CA |
| 57 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 58 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 59 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 60 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 61 | Huntington University | Huntington, IN |
| 62 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 63 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
| 64 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 65 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 66 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN |
| 67 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 68 | Otis College of Art and Design | Los Angeles, CA |
| 69 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 70 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 71 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
Design & Applied Arts by Region
View the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Design
| 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 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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