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Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

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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

The excellent programs at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the large city of Atlanta, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center is a private for-profit college with a fairly 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.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center

#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 very 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.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Virginia Tech Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Georgia Tech is a very 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.

Read More…

#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school 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

#6

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a fairly 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.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Clemson University

#7

Harding University

Searcy, AR

Harding University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Searcy.

Read More…

#8

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

University of Arkansas 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. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fayetteville.

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

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Arkansas Report

#9

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

With a ranking of #9, University of Kentucky did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. 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.

Read More…

#10

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Florida State is a very large public school located in the city of Tallahassee.

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

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Florida State University

#11

Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Auburn University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Auburn is a fairly 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.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Auburn University Report

With a ranking of #12, North Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Carolina State University

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

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

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

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 colleges 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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