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Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in California

10 Colleges
$52,263 Avg Salary

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

With 194 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #92 most popular major in California.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in California to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for design majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Los Angeles to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Otis College of Art and Design is a great place for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Southern California

#4

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA

Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California College of the Arts landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in California. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report

#6

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University Report

Art Center College of Design came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design Report

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Academy of Art University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University Report

With a ranking of #9, Laguna College of Art and Design did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the rural area of Laguna Beach, LCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

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

#10

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA

New York Film Academy landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree design and applied arts programs. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Burbank.

Full Design & Applied Arts at New York Film Academy Report

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 6
Oregon 18
Nevada 0

Design & Applied Arts is one of 9 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar 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 10 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.

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