2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You
Design & Applied Arts is the #53 most popular major in Tennessee with 296 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Tennessee to see which bachelor's 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.
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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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.
Best Tennessee Schools for Affordable Quality for a Bachelor's in Design & Applied Arts
Our analysis found The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UT Chattanooga undergraduate students pay an average of $9,848 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UT Chattanooga accumulate an average of around $27,825 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
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Out of the 9 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Middle Tennessee State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Middle Tennessee State University are $9,232 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at Middle Tennessee State University accumulate an average of around $22,629 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Middle Tennessee State University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Knoxville are $13,244 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UT Knoxville is ranked #5 for overall quality for design in Tennessee.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Memphis helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in Tennessee. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Memphis.
UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $10,056 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Memphis Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Tennessee State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. ETSU is a large public school located in the small city of Johnson City.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ETSU are $9,438 a year.
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With a ranking of #6, Nossi College of Art did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Madison, Nossi College of Art is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Nossi College of Art are $19,150 a year.
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Freed-Hardeman University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the distant town of Henderson, FHU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at FHU are $23,300 a year.
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Belmont University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Belmont are $38,430 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from Belmont carry an average student debtload of $24,946.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Belmont is ranked #3 for overall quality for design in Tennessee.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Belmont University
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Lipscomb University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lipscomb are $35,752 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Lipscomb also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Lipscomb University Report
Request InformationBest Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 1,446 |
| Virginia | 889 |
| North Carolina | 944 |
| Florida | 1,128 |
| Kentucky | 84 |
| South Carolina | 316 |
| Louisiana | 84 |
| Arkansas | 228 |
| Alabama | 246 |
| Mississippi | 81 |
| West Virginia | 114 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in Tennessee
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.
Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
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 9 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.