2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree School for You
With 3,773 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #34 most popular major in California.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master'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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for design majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found California State University - Long Beach to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
CSULB graduate students pay an average of $8,280 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report
Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at SFSU are $8,738 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University Report
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCLA are $13,036 per year.
UCLA did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Academy of Art University are $28,496 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University Report
Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Otis College of Art and Design landed the # 5 spot on the list. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Otis College of Art and Design are $50,950 a year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design
With a ranking of #6, California College of the Arts did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at California College of the Arts are $55,090 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
Laguna College of Art and Design came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. LCAD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Laguna Beach.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at LCAD are $38,850 per year.
University of Southern California ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at USC are $61,396 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, USC is ranked #5 for overall quality for design in California.
Art Center College of Design ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena.
Art Center College of Design graduate students pay an average of $50,734 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
With a ranking of #10, New York Film Academy did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Burbank, New York Film Academy is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at New York Film Academy are $34,075 a year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at New York Film Academy
Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Washington | 532 |
Oregon | 490 |
Nevada | 110 |
Hawaii | 19 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in California
Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
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 10 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.
Featured Schools
Request Info | Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |