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Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado

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2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado

5 Colleges
$33,924 Avg Salary
$31,095 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You

With 316 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #50 most popular major in Colorado.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado ranking. This report analyzed 5 schools in Colorado to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado

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

Top Colorado Schools in Design & Applied Arts

#1

Arapahoe Community College

Littleton, CO

Our 2023 rankings named Arapahoe Community College the best school in Colorado for design and applied arts students. Located in the large suburb of Littleton, Arapahoe Community College is a public school with a large student population.

On average, design graduates from Arapahoe Community College take out $23,985 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Arapahoe Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado list. Located in the medium-sized city of Lakewood, RMCAD is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, design graduates from RMCAD take out $44,406 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 $420.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Report

#3

University of Denver

Denver, CO

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Denver is a great place for design and applied arts students. DU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Denver.

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

The excellent programs at Metropolitan State University of Denver helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Colorado. MSU Denver is a large public school located in the large city of Denver.

After completing their degree, design graduates from MSU Denver carry an average student debtload of $28,500.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Metropolitan State University of Denver

#5

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, CO

The excellent programs at Colorado Mesa University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Colorado. Located in the small city of Grand Junction, Colorado Mesa is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Colorado Mesa University Report

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Utah 569
Idaho 125
Montana 25
Wyoming 22

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 5 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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