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Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

90 Colleges
$31,342 Avg Salary
$26,806 Avg Student Debt

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.

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.

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 the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 90 schools in the Southeast Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges.

Top 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Schools

#1

The Creative Circus

Atlanta, GA

Our 2023 rankings named The Creative Circus the best school in the Southeast Region for design and applied arts students. The Creative Circus is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.

On average, design graduates from The Creative Circus take out $28,334 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at The Creative Circus Report

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Out of the 90 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Design majors at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center take out an average of $25,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#3

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

The excellent programs at Virginia Tech helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Southeast Region . Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

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

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.

While working on their degree, design majors at Georgia Tech accumulate an average of around $22,125 in student debt.

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#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

The excellent programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Design majors at UF take out an average of $19,842 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Florida Report

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#6

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a very large student population.

Design majors at Clemson take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.

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#7

Harding University

Searcy, AR

Harding University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Searcy.

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#8

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

University of Arkansas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.

After completing their degree, design graduates from UARK carry an average student debtload of $26,236.

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#9

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

University of Kentucky ranked #9 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. UK is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Lexington.

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

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#10

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Florida State 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. Florida State is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.

On average, design graduates from Florida State take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#11

Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Auburn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Auburn is a very large public school located in the city of Auburn.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Auburn take out is $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $618.

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North Carolina State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, design graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $23,954.

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With a ranking of #13, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a large student population.

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

Full Design & Applied Arts at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Design & Applied Arts students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
14 Belmont University Nashville, TN
15 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
16 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
17 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
18 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 1,446
Virginia 889
North Carolina 944
Florida 1,128
Tennessee 296
Kentucky 84
South Carolina 316
Louisiana 84
Arkansas 228
Alabama 246
Mississippi 81
West Virginia 114

Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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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