2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, design and applied arts was ranked #36 in the country. In fact 36,301 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.
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 the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which master'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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used 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.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Ferris State University the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Ferris are $8,232 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Ferris State University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Stout is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Menomonie.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UW - Stout are $17,213 per year.
UW - Stout also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stout Report
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Illinois Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois Tech are $30,822 per year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Purdue are $28,794 per year.
Purdue also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a great value for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. BGSU is a fairly large public school located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BGSU are $15,823 per year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Report
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Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree design and applied arts programs. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a very large student population.
OHIO Athens graduate students pay an average of $17,712 in tuition and fees each year.
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DePaul University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at DePaul are $18,341 per year.
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University of Notre Dame ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Notre Dame are $58,662 per year.
Notre Dame also took the #2 spot in our Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region rankings.
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Ball State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a very large student population.
Ball State graduate students pay an average of $26,600 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ball State also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. UC is a very large public school located in the large city of Cincinnati.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC are $26,644 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,011 |
| Ohio | 1,456 |
| Illinois | 979 |
| Indiana | 417 |
| Wisconsin | 717 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Great Lakes 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.
Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar 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 19 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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