2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree 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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for design students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured Design 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.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Spokane Falls Community College to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Far Western US Region . Spokane Falls Community College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Spokane.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spokane Falls Community College are $5,135 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at Spokane Falls Community College accumulate an average of around $15,308 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Los Angeles Trade Technical College are $9,012 a year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Los Angeles Trade Technical College
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The excellent associate degree programs at Bellevue College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in the Far Western US Region . BC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Bellevue.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BC are $9,594 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, BC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Bellevue College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at College of Southern Nevada helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSN are $11,534 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at CSN accumulate an average of around $13,029 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at College of Southern Nevada
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Out of the 14 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Platt College - San Diego landed the # 5 spot on the list. Platt College - San Diego is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Platt College - San Diego are $16,378 a year. Design majors at Platt College - San Diego take out an average of $18,038 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $112.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego Report
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Interior Designers Institute landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree design and applied arts programs. Interior Designers Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Newport Beach.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Interior Designers Institute are $20,250 per year. Design majors at Interior Designers Institute take out an average of $22,905 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Lake Washington Institute of Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. LWTech is a small public school located in the large suburb of Kirkland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LWTech are $10,146 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Lake Washington Institute of Technology Report
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San Diego Mesa College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $8,512 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Diego Mesa College
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With a ranking of #9, Columbia College Hollywood did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Tarzana, Columbia College Hollywood is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia College Hollywood are $26,175 per year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Hollywood Report
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 3,773 |
| Washington | 532 |
| Oregon | 490 |
| Nevada | 110 |
| Hawaii | 19 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Other Related Design 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.
Design & Applied Arts Related Majors for 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 14 schools only.
- 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.