2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, design and applied arts was ranked #36 in the country. In fact 36,301 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 81 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for design majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our analysis found University of Notre Dame to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $19,000 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lawrence Technological University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Lawrence Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Southfield.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Lawrence Technological University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Madison Area Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Madison College take out is $14,374.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means The Modern College of Design is a great place for design and applied arts students. The Modern College of Design is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Kettering.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at The Modern College of Design take out is $5,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $279, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.
Design majors at UW - Madison take out an average of $23,854 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $22,407 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $501, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
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Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at Purdue accumulate an average of around $23,266 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $329.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus Report
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University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. UC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Cincinnati.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at UC take out is $25,333. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $365, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. UW - Stout is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Menomonie.
While working on their degree, design majors at UW - Stout accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $131, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stout Report
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Michigan State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
On average, design graduates from Michigan State take out $29,812 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $433.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Michigan State University
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Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University Report
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee, WI |
| 14 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 15 | College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI |
| 16 | University of Evansville | Evansville, IN |
Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,011 |
| Ohio | 1,456 |
| Illinois | 979 |
| Indiana | 417 |
| Wisconsin | 717 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
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.
Design & Applied Arts Related Rankings by Major
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar 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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