Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools

77 Colleges
$31,426 Avg Salary
$25,481 Avg Student Debt

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 77 schools in the United States to see which online programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Check out the online design programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

Our analysis found Southern New Hampshire University to be the most popular school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue an online degree in the United States. Located in the suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, design majors at SNHU accumulate an average of around $32,500 in student debt.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Technical Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Wake Technical Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Raleigh.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Wake Technical Community College take out is $12,411.

Read More…

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Columbus State Community College is a great place for design and applied arts students pursuing an online degree. Located in the large city of Columbus, Columbus State is a public college with a very large student population.

Read More…

#4

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Full Sail University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Located in the suburb of Winter Park, Full Sail University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.

Design majors at Full Sail University take out an average of $36,689 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $274, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Full Sail University

Out of the 77 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design landed the # 5 spot on the list. RMCAD is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Lakewood.

On average, design graduates from RMCAD take out $44,406 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $420.

Read More…

Chattahoochee Technical College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Marietta, Chattahoochee Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Chattahoochee Technical College

New York School of Interior Design did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. NYSID is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at New York School of Interior Design

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Academy of Art University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Design majors at Academy of Art University take out an average of $33,391 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $719, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University Report

#9

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Liberty University take out is $25,833. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $432.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Liberty University Report

#10

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA

With a ranking of #10, Central Georgia Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. CGTC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Warner Robins.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Central Georgia Technical College

Sessions College for Professional Design did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, Sessions College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

While working on their degree, design majors at Sessions College accumulate an average of around $19,864 in student debt.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Sessions College for Professional Design Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 The Modern College of Design Kettering, OH
12 Berkeley College - Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ
14 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
15 Bellevue University Bellevue, NE

View the Most Popular Online Design & Applied Arts Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

More Design & Applied Arts Rankings

One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.