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Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

52 Colleges
$33,319 Avg Salary
$28,541 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor'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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 52 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Design & Applied Arts program at each school on the list.

Check out the design bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

Our 2023 rankings named Art Center College of Design the most popular school in California for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Pasadena.

About 71% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 29% are male.

On average, design graduates from Art Center College of Design take out $35,062 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $878.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular design and applied arts schools in California. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 79% of the design majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $15,187 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Davis Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 62% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 38% are male.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University

#4

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

Out of the 52 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

About 60% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 40% are male.

Design majors at SFSU take out an average of $19,788 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $378, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at California State University - Chico helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular design and applied arts schools in California. Located in the city of Chico, Chico State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 143 students majoring in design at Chico State, 65% are male and 35% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from Chico State carry an average student debt load of $18,522.

Read More…

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.

About 65% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 35% are male.

Design majors at CSULB take out an average of $21,064 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

About 61% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 39% are male.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $711.

Read More…

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

Women make up 55% of the design majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,547.

Read More…

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.

Of the 108 students majoring in design at UC Santa Cruz, 60% are male and 40% are female.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at UC Santa Cruz take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,170.

Read More…

#10

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, CA

Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. LCAD is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Laguna Beach.

Women make up 64% of the design majors at the school.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $512, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 532
Oregon 490
Nevada 110
Hawaii 19

Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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 26 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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