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

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

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

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

With 979 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #37 most popular major in Illinois.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs 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 Illinois.

Our analysis found Columbia College Chicago to be the most popular school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

About 66% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 34% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from Columbia carry an average student debt load of $29,562. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $485.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Chicago

Out of the 28 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 2 spot on the list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

About 64% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 36% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $21,307 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $501, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means DePaul University is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 40% of the design majors at the school.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $537, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at DePaul University

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular design and applied arts schools in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 66 students majoring in design at UIC, 39% are male and 61% are female.

When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $295.

Read More…

#5

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Out of the 28 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

Of the 44 students majoring in design at Bradley, 75% are male and 25% are female.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bradley University

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 12% are male.

Read More…

#6

American Academy of Art

Chicago, IL

American Academy of Art did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. The Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

About 72% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 28% are male.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $699.

Read More…

#8

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

With a ranking of #8, Augustana College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 56% of the design majors at the school.

Read More…

Loyola University Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Women make up 86% of the design majors at the school.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Loyola University Chicago Report

#9

North Central College

Naperville, IL

North Central College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 71% of the design majors at the school.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Central College

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,011
Ohio 1,456
Indiana 417
Wisconsin 717

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.

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