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Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

92 Colleges
$31,489 Avg Salary
$23,859 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.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 92 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for design majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Schools

#1

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Our 2023 rankings named Carnegie Mellon University the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for design and applied arts students. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

On average, design graduates from Carnegie Mellon take out $25,532 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Out of the 92 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, design graduates from RPI take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Pennsylvania Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Delaware. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. UD is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at UD take out is $27,000.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Delaware

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

#6

American University

Washington, DC

American University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. The American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

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With a ranking of #7, New Jersey Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Newark, NJIT is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, design majors at NJIT accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at New Jersey Institute of Technology

Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #8 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Millersville is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Millersville.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report

#9

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

With a ranking of #9, Messiah University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Messiah University

#10

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Syracuse take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $532.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Syracuse University Report

With a ranking of #11, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

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#12

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

Temple University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, design majors at Temple accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Temple University

#13

George Washington University

Washington, DC

George Washington University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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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 Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
14 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
15 York College of Pennsylvania York, PA
16 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
17 Finger Lakes Community College Canandaigua, NY
18 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 1,238
New York 4,391
Maryland 617
New Jersey 532
District of Columbia 84
Delaware 59

One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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