2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Pennsylvania
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,238 degrees and certificates were awarded to design and applied arts students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #39 most popular major in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
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 Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 29 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best programs 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 Pennsylvania
The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our analysis found Carnegie Mellon University to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Carnegie Mellon take out is $25,532.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Carnegie Mellon University
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Millersville University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.
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The excellent programs at Messiah University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Pennsylvania. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.
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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. SRU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
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Temple University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Design majors at Temple take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Temple University
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York College of Pennsylvania 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. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of York.
Full Design & Applied Arts at York College of Pennsylvania Report
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Drexel University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Drexel take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $888.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Drexel University Report
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Kutztown University of Pennsylvania 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. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Kutztown.
After completing their degree, design graduates from Kutztown University carry an average student debtload of $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $294.
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New York | 4,391 |
| Maryland | 617 |
| New Jersey | 532 |
| District of Columbia | 84 |
| Delaware | 59 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in Pennsylvania
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.
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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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