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Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

35 Colleges
$33,319 Avg Salary
$28,541 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

With 3,773 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #34 most popular major in California.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 35 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Davis to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $15,187 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Davis Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

Design majors at UCLA take out an average of $16,210 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Out of the 35 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University Report

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#4

Chapman University

Orange, CA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Chapman University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in California. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Orange.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Chapman take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,865.

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#5

Cogswell College

San Jose, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cogswell College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Jose, Cogswell is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Cogswell take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $31,307.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Cogswell College Report

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Otis College of Art and 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 #6 on the list. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $711.

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#7

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

With a ranking of #7, University of San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. USFCA is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

Design majors at USFCA take out an average of $22,333 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Art Center College of Design ranked #8 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Pasadena.

On average, design graduates from Art Center College of Design take out $35,062 in student loans while working on their Bachelor'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 $878.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design Report

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University of Southern California ranked #9 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Southern California Report

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California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, design graduates from CSULB take out $21,064 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 532
Oregon 490
Nevada 110
Hawaii 19

Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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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