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Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region

38 Colleges
$31,239 Avg Salary
$24,704 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.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

The Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 38 schools in the Plains States 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 Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools

Our analysis found North Dakota State University - Main Campus to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

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#2

Luther College

Decorah, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Luther College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Washington University in St Louis is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, design graduates from WUSTL carry an average student debtload of $15,808.

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#4

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

The excellent programs at Drake University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Drake University Report

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The excellent programs at Alexandria Technical & Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Plains States Region . ATCC is a small public school located in the remote town of Alexandria.

Design majors at ATCC take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

University of South Dakota came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Vermillion, USD is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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Bemidji State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.

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

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Iowa State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ames.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Iowa State take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $262.

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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #9 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at UMN Twin Cities take out is $22,975. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $298.

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#10

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE

Bellevue University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Design majors at Bellevue University take out an average of $29,510 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 432
Minnesota 533
Kansas 229
Iowa 481
Nebraska 223
North Dakota 36
South Dakota 57

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

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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