2021 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 #35 in the country. In fact 36,179 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2018-2019.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 77 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2021 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 suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Design majors at Notre Dame take out an average of $18,975 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $197.
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The excellent programs at Illinois Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from Illinois Tech carry an average student debtload of $142,414. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $1,659, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Madison, Wisconsin is a public college with a very large student population.
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The excellent programs at Lawrence Technological University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Lawrence Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Southfield.
Design majors at Lawrence Tech take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Advertising Art Educational Services DBA School of Advertising Art. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Advertising Art Educational Services DBA School of Advertising Art is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Kettering.
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Taylor University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Taylor U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Upland.
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University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at UIUC take out is $26,994. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Menomonie.
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Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #10, College for Creative Studies did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the large city of Detroit, CCS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at CCS take out is $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #11, Specs Howard School of Media Arts did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the small city of Southfield, Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
On average, design graduates from Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts take out $12,079 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $125, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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 |
---|---|---|
12 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
13 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
14 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
15 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
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 | 1,113 |
Ohio | 1,988 |
Illinois | 1,100 |
Indiana | 582 |
Wisconsin | 766 |
Design & Applied Arts Related Rankings by Major
One of 9 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Fine & Studio Arts | 40,751 |
Music | 26,968 |
Drama & Theater Arts | 17,726 |
Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,756 |
General Visual & Performing Arts | 5,720 |
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.
Featured Schools
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