2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts 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.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 38 schools in the Plains States Region to see which 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.
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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Alexandria Technical & Community College the best value school in the Plains States Region for design and applied arts students. ATCC is a small public school located in the town of Alexandria.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ATCC are $5,910 a year. Design majors at ATCC take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ATCC also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Out of the 38 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Omaha, MCC is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $4,680 per year. While working on their degree, design majors at MCC accumulate an average of around $12,098 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Metropolitan Community College Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Johnson County Community College is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the midsize city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at JCCC are $5,352 a year. After completing their degree, design graduates from JCCC carry an average student debtload of $11,449.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Johnson County Community College Report
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Out of the 38 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Century College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Century College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of White Bear Lake.
Century College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,907 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Century College
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The excellent programs at Bismarck State College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Plains States Region . BSC is a small public school located in the city of Bismarck.
BSC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,930 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at BSC accumulate an average of around $12,000 in student debt.
BSC also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Bismarck State College Report
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Bellevue University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Bellevue University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,310 in tuition and fees each year. Design majors at Bellevue University take out an average of $29,510 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, Bellevue University is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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With a ranking of #7, Bemidji State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bemidji State University are $9,806 a year. On average, design graduates from Bemidji State University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Bemidji State University also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bemidji State University
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With a ranking of #8, Minneapolis Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College are $5,906 a year. On average, design graduates from Minneapolis Community and Technical College take out $32,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of South Dakota ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USD are $12,942 a year.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.
North Dakota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,876 in tuition and fees each year. On average, design graduates from North Dakota State University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 432 |
| Minnesota | 533 |
| Kansas | 229 |
| Iowa | 481 |
| Nebraska | 223 |
| North Dakota | 36 |
| South Dakota | 57 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Plains States 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 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 25 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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