2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,238 degrees and certificates were awarded to design and applied arts students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #39 most popular major in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 22 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for design students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Millersville University of Pennsylvania to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Pennsylvania. Millersville is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Millersville are $12,256 a year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in Pennsylvania. Kutztown University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kutztown.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kutztown University are $11,062 per year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Kutztown University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,710. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $294.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Report
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Out of the 22 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list. IUP is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Indiana.
IUP undergraduate students pay an average of $13,144 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Temple University is a great value for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public college with a very large student population.
Temple undergraduate students pay an average of $17,378 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Temple University
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in Pennsylvania. Cal U is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of California.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal U are $11,108 a year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California University of Pennsylvania
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Mansfield University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Mansfield University is a small public school located in the town of Mansfield.
Mansfield University undergraduate students pay an average of $10,682 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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York College of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of York.
YCP undergraduate students pay an average of $22,350 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at York College of Pennsylvania Report
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Pennsylvania College of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Penn College is a small public school located in the city of Williamsport.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Penn College are $17,610 a year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Pennsylvania College of Technology
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Carnegie Mellon University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon are $58,524 per year.
Carnegie Mellon did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
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Messiah University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.
Messiah undergraduate students pay an average of $38,370 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Messiah University Report
Request InformationBest Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New York | 4,391 |
| Maryland | 617 |
| New Jersey | 532 |
| District of Columbia | 84 |
| Delaware | 59 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in Pennsylvania
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 22 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.