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

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

59 Colleges
$32,100 Avg Salary
$26,477 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts 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. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 59 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools

#1

Gnomon

Hollywood, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Gnomon the best school in the Far Western US Region for design and applied arts students. Gnomon is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Hollywood.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Gnomon take out is $41,000.

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The excellent programs at University of Washington - Seattle Campus helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, design graduates from UW Seattle take out $13,702 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Out of the 59 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the # 3 spot on the list. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.

Design majors at UC Davis take out an average of $15,357 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.

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The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Far Western US Region . UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at UCLA take out is $16,500.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.

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#6

Chapman University

Orange, CA

With a ranking of #6, Chapman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, design graduates from Chapman carry an average student debtload of $22,030.

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#7

Cogswell College

San Jose, CA

Cogswell College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Cogswell is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Jose.

While working on their degree, design majors at Cogswell accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.

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Washington State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is a very large public school located in the distant town of Pullman.

Design majors at Wazzu take out an average of $24,191 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#9

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

On average, design graduates from USFCA take out $25,374 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#10

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, CA

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #10 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Otis College of Art and Design take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $711.

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Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 3,773
Washington 532
Oregon 490
Nevada 110
Hawaii 19

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 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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