2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,979 people earned a degree or certificate in design and applied arts, making the major the #91 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
The Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 104 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges.
Top 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our analysis found University of Notre Dame to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Illinois Institute of Technology is a great place for design and applied arts students. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
Out of the 104 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Michigan State University Report
Out of the 104 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report
The excellent programs at Carnegie Mellon University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the United States. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Carnegie Mellon University Report
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
Full Design & Applied Arts at The University of Texas at Austin Report
With a ranking of #7, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Purdue is a very large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus Report
American University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. The American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at American University
With a ranking of #10, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern University 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. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University Report
University of Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking. OSU is a very large public school located in the town of Stillwater.
Clemson University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Clemson is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Clemson.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Clemson University
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus 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 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 17 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
| 19 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 20 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
Design & Applied Arts by Region
View the Best 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
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 9 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Design
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Music | 7,675 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,224 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,704 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,699 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,184 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
GradDegree.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© GradDegree.com – All Rights Reserved.