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.
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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 analysis found University of Notre Dame to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Notre Dame Report
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Carnegie Mellon University is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Out of the 356 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the # 3 spot on the list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The University of Texas at Austin
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 city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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 school with a very 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.
Lawrence Technological University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Southfield, Lawrence Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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 very large public school located in the 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.
Washington University in St Louis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Washington University in St Louis
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 large 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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
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 medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Sacred Heart University Report
North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a large student population.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. UIUC is a very large public school located in the 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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #13, Luther College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.
Texas Christian 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 #14 on the list. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit school 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.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Texas Christian University Report
Drake University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 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 #16 on the list. Located in the small city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Report
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Purdue is a very large public school located in the 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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus
The Modern College of Design 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 #18 on the list. Located in the city of Kettering, The Modern College of Design is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public school with a very 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.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Report
University of Florida ranked #20 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UF is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. OSU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Stillwater.
Clemson University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Clemson is a fairly large public school located in the large 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.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #24, Boston University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
Southern Methodist University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.
Rest of the Top Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college 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
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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