2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest 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.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.
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 Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 15 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for design students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. 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 2023 rankings named Collin County Community College District the best value school in the Southwest Region for design and applied arts students working on their associate degree. Collin County Community College District is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of McKinney.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Collin County Community College District are $5,104 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at Collin County Community College District accumulate an average of around $14,236 in student debt.
Collin County Community College District also made our Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, coming in at #4.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Collin County Community College District
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Scottsdale Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Scottsdale Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,854 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at Scottsdale Community College accumulate an average of around $14,221 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Scottsdale Community College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend El Centro College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. Design majors at El Centro College take out an average of $17,897 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
El Centro College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Austin Community College District helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Austin Community College District are $10,590 a year. Design majors at Austin Community College District take out an average of $20,482 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, Austin Community College District is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Sessions College for Professional Design. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, Sessions College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Sessions College are $12,440 a year.
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Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree design and applied arts programs. OSU Institute of Technology is a small public school located in the distant town of Okmulgee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OSU Institute of Technology are $11,384 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, design majors at OSU Institute of Technology accumulate an average of around $17,810 in student debt.
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Texas State Technical College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Waco, TSTC is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TSTC are $11,369 per year. On average, design graduates from TSTC take out $15,284 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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University of Advancing Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. University of Advancing Technology is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Tempe.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Advancing Technology are $17,461 per year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Advancing Technology Report
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Pima Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Pima County Community College District is a large public school located in the large city of Tucson.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pima County Community College District are $7,566 a year.
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Oklahoma City Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree design and applied arts programs. OCCC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Oklahoma City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OCCC are $9,810 per year. On average, design graduates from OCCC take out $12,300 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, OCCC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Oklahoma City Community College
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 1,449 |
| Arizona | 594 |
| Oklahoma | 211 |
| New Mexico | 30 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Southwest 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 Related Majors
| 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 15 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.
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