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Design and Applied Arts Degree

290 schools compared · Average earnings $33,862/yr

Schools Offering

290

Avg Grad Earnings

$33,862/yr

Avg DegreeWorth Score

40/100

AI Automation Risk

High

42% task exposure

Best Schools for Design and Applied Arts

Top 290 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
1	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	72 69–73	$63,449/yr	High	15.9x
2	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL	72 68–73	$49,144/yr	High	22.2x
3	Bellevue College Bellevue, WA	71 67–73	$45,947/yr	High	25.7x
4	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA	70 65–74	$52,694/yr	High	18.3x
5	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	69 65–72	$57,615/yr	High	14.6x
6	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	69 64–72	$43,144/yr	High	27.8x
7	University of Houston Houston, TX	68 64–69	$47,461/yr	High	15.5x
8	Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL	68 63–69	$39,221/yr	High	29.4x
9	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	67 63–68	$44,930/yr	High	16.2x
10	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	66 63–67	$52,526/yr	High	11.8x
11	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	66 64–66	$49,780/yr	High	12.1x
12	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	66 59–71	$44,506/yr	High	17.8x
13	Weber State University Ogden, UT	66 62–68	$40,507/yr	High	20.5x
14	University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK	65 62–67	$42,619/yr	High	16.4x
15	East Carolina University Greenville, NC	65 61–66	$39,992/yr	High	17.3x
16	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA	65 62–65	$39,355/yr	High	15.7x
17	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	65 61–67	$38,938/yr	High	20.4x
18	Utah State University Logan, UT	64 67–59	$52,431/yr	High	4.6x
19	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	64 62–64	$44,602/yr	High	12.4x
20	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA	64 59–67	$37,395/yr	High	23.2x
21	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	63 58–65	$45,176/yr	High	12.5x
22	Texas State University San Marcos, TX	63 59–65	$44,396/yr	High	12.6x
23	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC	63 60–63	$38,858/yr	High	15.0x
24	Auburn University Auburn, AL	62 60–63	$46,585/yr	High	10.7x
25	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR	62 60–61	$43,106/yr	High	9.7x
26	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI	62 60–61	$41,243/yr	High	10.7x
27	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV	62 57–65	$39,847/yr	High	14.9x
28	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA	62 58–63	$36,736/yr	High	16.5x
29	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	62 56–66	$34,845/yr	High	22.9x
30	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC	62 57–64	$32,842/yr	High	27.5x
31	Washington State University Pullman, WA	61 58–63	$44,823/yr	High	10.9x
32	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL	61 59–62	$44,215/yr	High	11.2x
33	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS	61 60–61	$43,992/yr	High	9.1x
34	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN	61 59–60	$41,968/yr	High	9.3x
35	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR	61 59–60	$41,782/yr	High	9.7x
36	Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX	61 58–61	$39,959/yr	High	12.1x
37	Bellevue University Bellevue, NE	61 58–61	$39,313/yr	High	12.7x
38	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	61 56–64	$33,915/yr	High	21.8x
39	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA	60 57–62	$46,761/yr	High	9.6x
40	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND	60 58–60	$41,846/yr	High	10.7x
41	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI	60 58–61	$40,615/yr	High	11.7x
42	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	60 55–64	$39,450/yr	High	13.9x
43	Appalachian State University Boone, NC	60 55–63	$34,722/yr	High	17.2x
44	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	59 55–61	$47,295/yr	High	8.4x
45	Clemson University Clemson, SC	59 57–60	$46,689/yr	High	8.3x
46	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA	59 56–60	$38,637/yr	High	12.0x
47	University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha, WI	59 57–58	$36,920/yr	High	10.8x
48	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR	59 56–60	$35,970/yr	High	14.1x
49	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	59 54–61	$31,888/yr	High	19.2x
50	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY	58 55–60	$42,168/yr	High	9.9x
51	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA	58 56–59	$40,286/yr	High	10.2x
52	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN	58 57–58	$38,807/yr	High	9.2x
53	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY	58 53–62	$34,677/yr	High	16.0x
54	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA	58 52–61	$32,240/yr	High	17.7x
55	Interior Designers Institute Newport Beach, CA	57 56–55	$51,188/yr	High	3.0x
56	Park University Parkville, MO	57 56–58	$46,340/yr	High	6.1x
57	University of Delaware Newark, DE	57 53–61	$42,585/yr	High	10.0x
58	Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN	57 57–55	$40,231/yr	High	7.6x
59	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN	57 55–57	$38,587/yr	High	10.1x
60	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE	57 56–56	$38,585/yr	High	8.5x
61	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK	57 55–56	$37,755/yr	High	8.8x
62	Iowa State University Ames, IA	57 54–60	$37,565/yr	High	12.1x
63	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD	57 54–59	$35,944/yr	High	12.6x
64	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA	56 53–56	$66,274/yr	High	1.6x
65	Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA	56 54–57	$45,572/yr	High	5.4x
66	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	56 52–58	$42,462/yr	High	8.3x
67	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH	56 53–56	$39,856/yr	High	8.6x
68	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS	56 52–59	$37,508/yr	High	11.2x
69	Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO	56 54–55	$37,200/yr	High	8.5x
70	Portland State University Portland, OR	56 50–61	$35,304/yr	High	13.2x
71	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	56 50–60	$31,459/yr	High	16.2x
72	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC	56 52–58	$30,470/yr	High	15.4x
73	California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA	56 50–60	$30,378/yr	High	17.9x
74	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY	56 49–60	$27,023/yr	High	22.7x
75	University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA	56 51–60	$26,823/yr	High	22.9x
76	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	55 52–56	$64,846/yr	High	1.9x
77	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI	55 50–59	$39,077/yr	High	10.0x
78	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	55 50–60	$35,960/yr	High	12.1x
79	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA	55 47–60	$31,078/yr	High	16.4x
80	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA	55 50–59	$30,065/yr	High	16.5x
81	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA	54 51–56	$50,599/yr	High	3.1x
82	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	54 50–57	$43,530/yr	High	6.2x
83	Ball State University Muncie, IN	54 52–54	$36,864/yr	High	7.6x
84	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA	54 49–57	$34,981/yr	High	10.9x
85	Wichita State University Wichita, KS	54 51–55	$33,590/yr	High	11.1x
86	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI	54 52–55	$32,991/yr	High	11.6x
87	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH	54 47–59	$24,716/yr	High	20.6x
88	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH	54 47–59	$24,716/yr	High	20.6x
89	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH	54 47–59	$24,716/yr	High	20.6x
90	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH	54 47–59	$24,716/yr	High	20.6x
91	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH	54 47–59	$24,716/yr	High	20.6x
92	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA	53 51–54	$41,020/yr	High	5.2x
93	Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC	53 51–55	$40,119/yr	High	7.2x
94	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	53 49–55	$36,917/yr	High	8.9x
95	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH	53 49–55	$36,351/yr	High	9.1x
96	Kean University Union, NJ	53 48–56	$35,673/yr	High	10.0x
97	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR	53 49–55	$35,614/yr	High	9.6x
98	University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO	53 50–53	$33,921/yr	High	10.0x
99	University of North Texas Denton, TX	53 48–57	$33,867/yr	High	11.4x
100	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO	53 51–52	$33,695/yr	High	9.4x
101	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY	53 50–55	$32,546/yr	High	11.4x
102	Northeastern University Boston, MA	52 47–56	$49,727/yr	High	2.8x
103	Suffolk University Boston, MA	52 48–53	$47,415/yr	High	2.4x
104	Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA	52 47–55	$47,053/yr	High	2.9x
105	Illinois State University Normal, IL	52 50–53	$39,287/yr	High	5.1x
106	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	52 49–54	$38,443/yr	High	7.4x
107	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	52 48–55	$36,061/yr	High	9.4x
108	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	52 48–54	$35,614/yr	High	8.9x
109	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT	52 48–55	$34,930/yr	High	9.7x
110	Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN	52 51–52	$34,627/yr	High	7.6x
111	East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN	52 50–52	$34,177/yr	High	7.6x
112	The College of Saint Rose Albany, NY	51 47–52	$43,418/yr	High	3.0x
113	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ	51 48–53	$38,976/yr	High	4.6x
114	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ	51 48–52	$38,975/yr	High	4.1x
115	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	51 47–53	$36,784/yr	High	7.5x
116	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH	51 47–53	$35,645/yr	High	8.2x
117	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	51 45–57	$34,670/yr	High	9.9x
118	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ	51 47–54	$33,964/yr	High	9.7x
119	Boise State University Boise, ID	51 48–52	$31,083/yr	High	10.2x
120	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY	51 45–56	$27,827/yr	High	14.0x
121	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	51 46–55	$27,573/yr	High	13.5x
122	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA	51 49–50	$25,839/yr	High	10.2x
123	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL	51 47–54	$23,504/yr	High	14.8x
124	Boston University Boston, MA	50 46–51	$49,254/yr	High	0.9x
125	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	50 45–53	$46,825/yr	High	2.3x
126	Chapman University Orange, CA	50 45–52	$46,519/yr	High	2.1x
127	Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN	50 47–51	$40,302/yr	High	2.9x
128	Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO	50 46–51	$39,623/yr	High	3.5x
129	Keene State College Keene, NH	50 46–53	$34,947/yr	High	8.2x
130	Radford University Radford, VA	50 47–52	$34,096/yr	High	8.6x
131	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	50 49–50	$31,702/yr	High	7.7x
132	Black Hills State University Spearfish, SD	50 48–49	$31,022/yr	High	7.6x
133	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	50 43–56	$23,160/yr	High	15.6x
134	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	49 45–51	$46,181/yr	High	1.6x
135	University of Dayton Dayton, OH	49 45–51	$43,609/yr	High	2.2x
136	Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA	49 43–53	$39,248/yr	High	4.2x
137	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH	49 46–52	$35,878/yr	High	6.6x
138	Longwood University Farmville, VA	49 46–50	$35,612/yr	High	4.9x
139	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL	49 46–52	$34,377/yr	High	7.8x
140	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI	49 46–50	$34,045/yr	High	6.9x
141	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD	49 46–50	$34,020/yr	High	6.5x
142	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	49 43–55	$32,816/yr	High	10.1x
143	Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN	49 47–49	$32,482/yr	High	6.5x
144	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA	49 43–53	$24,604/yr	High	12.8x
145	Samford University Birmingham, AL	48 45–49	$41,323/yr	High	1.7x
146	Endicott College Beverly, MA	48 43–51	$39,271/yr	High	3.2x
147	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ	48 44–50	$35,960/yr	High	—
148	Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay, WI	48 46–49	$32,482/yr	High	5.8x
149	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA	47 43–49	$42,510/yr	High	1.8x
150	Harding University Searcy, AR	47 43–48	$35,582/yr	High	3.6x
151	Rasmussen University-North Dakota Fargo, ND	47 45–48	$32,482/yr	High	5.4x
152	Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford, IL	47 44–48	$32,482/yr	High	5.0x
153	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA	47 44–49	$29,146/yr	High	9.1x
154	CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY	47 41–53	$21,445/yr	High	13.2x
155	CUNY Queens College Queens, NY	47 39–55	$19,349/yr	High	14.0x
156	Judson University Elgin, IL	46 43–47	$37,466/yr	High	2.0x
157	Newschool of Architecture and Design San Diego, CA	46 43–47	$37,132/yr	High	2.1x
158	Bob Jones University Greenville, SC	46 44–45	$36,424/yr	High	2.3x
159	Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL	46 43–47	$32,482/yr	High	4.4x
160	Rasmussen University-Kansas Topeka, KS	46 43–47	$32,482/yr	High	4.3x
161	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN	46 42–48	$31,337/yr	High	6.6x
162	Baylor University Waco, TX	45 41–47	$39,333/yr	High	1.9x
163	Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX	45 42–46	$38,553/yr	High	1.3x
164	Champlain College Burlington, VT	45 41–46	$38,264/yr	High	1.8x
165	University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN	45 42–46	$37,966/yr	High	1.6x
166	Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN	45 42–45	$34,384/yr	High	2.4x
167	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL	45 41–47	$34,236/yr	High	3.6x
168	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	45 42–46	$32,397/yr	High	3.7x
169	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI	45 42–48	$30,687/yr	High	6.8x
170	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA	45 40–48	$29,660/yr	High	7.1x
171	Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA	45 43–46	$29,191/yr	High	5.6x
172	University of Oregon Eugene, OR	45 39–52	$28,844/yr	High	9.4x
173	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA	45 43–46	$28,206/yr	High	5.8x
174	Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI	45 40–50	$27,577/yr	High	9.1x
175	Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN	45 44–46	$27,517/yr	High	6.4x
176	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN	45 39–50	$26,421/yr	High	9.6x
177	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA	44 39–47	$38,154/yr	High	1.8x
178	Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI	44 41–45	$37,856/yr	High	1.1x
179	Cedarville University Cedarville, OH	44 40–47	$35,768/yr	High	2.7x
180	Carthage College Kenosha, WI	44 40–47	$35,511/yr	High	2.8x
181	University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN	44 40–45	$35,439/yr	High	2.3x
182	Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, CA	44 41–44	$34,589/yr	High	1.9x
183	Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR	44 38–50	$20,285/yr	High	10.9x
184	SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY	44 37–52	$19,451/yr	High	11.5x
185	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA	43 39–46	$36,433/yr	High	2.1x
186	Meredith College Raleigh, NC	43 40–44	$36,357/yr	High	1.6x
187	Russell Sage College Troy, NY	43 39–44	$35,294/yr	High	1.8x
188	Anderson University Anderson, SC	43 39–45	$34,040/yr	High	2.6x
189	Mississippi College Clinton, MS	43 40–44	$32,020/yr	High	2.7x
190	Oklahoma Christian University Edmond, OK	43 38–46	$31,466/yr	High	3.8x
191	Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA	43 40–44	$31,122/yr	High	3.1x
192	University of Advancing Technology Tempe, AZ	43 40–44	$30,640/yr	High	2.9x
193	York College of Pennsylvania York, PA	43 38–46	$30,567/yr	High	4.4x
194	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA	43 38–45	$30,019/yr	High	4.3x
195	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX	43 38–46	$26,629/yr	High	7.1x
196	Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC	43 39–45	$26,076/yr	High	6.9x
197	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ	43 37–48	$26,027/yr	High	7.9x
198	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH	43 38–47	$24,959/yr	High	8.1x
199	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH	43 37–49	$24,716/yr	High	8.7x
200	Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH	43 40–44	$24,375/yr	High	7.0x
201	Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY	42 37–45	$36,040/yr	High	1.8x
202	William Peace University Raleigh, NC	42 38–42	$33,536/yr	High	1.5x
203	Marymount University Arlington, VA	42 37–46	$33,180/yr	High	2.9x
204	LIM College New York, NY	42 37–46	$31,885/yr	High	3.4x
205	Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Lakewood, CO	42 37–44	$29,829/yr	High	3.8x
206	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA	42 37–45	$25,872/yr	High	6.6x
207	Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA	42 36–47	$24,706/yr	High	7.7x
208	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY	41 38–43	$36,191/yr	High	0.5x
209	Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT	41 38–43	$35,884/yr	High	0.7x
210	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY	41 36–43	$34,709/yr	High	1.4x
211	Lasell University Newton, MA	41 37–43	$29,661/yr	High	3.2x
212	Northwest College of Art & Design Tacoma, WA	41 37–42	$27,694/yr	High	2.8x
213	Los Angeles Film School Hollywood, CA	41 37–43	$26,583/yr	High	—
214	Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR	41 38–42	$23,583/yr	High	4.3x
215	Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR	41 38–42	$22,016/yr	High	4.6x
216	SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY	41 38–42	$20,252/yr	High	4.9x
217	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR	41 32–55	$7,580/yr	High	10.5x
218	Nazareth University Rochester, NY	40 37–41	$33,461/yr	High	1.0x
219	College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI	40 35–43	$32,665/yr	High	1.9x
220	University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT	40 36–42	$31,207/yr	High	2.3x
221	Albright College Reading, PA	40 36–42	$29,793/yr	High	2.9x
222	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO	39 35–41	$33,615/yr	High	0.3x
223	Emmanuel College Boston, MA	39 35–40	$32,413/yr	High	0.7x
224	Woodbury University Burbank, CA	39 35–40	$32,175/yr	High	0.8x
225	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	39 34–42	$32,070/yr	High	1.8x
226	Taylor University Upland, IN	39 36–40	$31,921/yr	High	1.0x
227	Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH	39 36–40	$31,749/yr	High	1.1x
228	Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC	39 35–41	$31,611/yr	High	1.8x
229	DePaul University Chicago, IL	39 34–43	$30,536/yr	High	2.4x
230	Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL	39 35–42	$29,630/yr	High	2.5x
231	Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA	39 34–42	$29,488/yr	High	2.6x
232	Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX	39 36–40	$29,479/yr	High	1.7x
233	Nossi College of Art and Design Nashville, TN	39 34–42	$24,497/yr	High	3.9x
234	University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI	39 34–44	$18,339/yr	High	6.1x
235	St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN	38 34–39	$31,547/yr	High	0.6x
236	Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA	38 33–42	$31,172/yr	High	1.9x
237	Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI	38 35–39	$30,053/yr	High	1.6x
238	University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX	38 33–42	$27,986/yr	High	2.7x
239	Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA	38 33–43	$27,785/yr	High	2.9x
240	Grand View University Des Moines, IA	38 32–42	$26,996/yr	High	3.0x
241	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL	38 33–41	$25,479/yr	High	3.2x
242	University of Denver Denver, CO	37 33–39	$31,104/yr	High	0.3x
243	Saint Edward's University Austin, TX	37 33–39	$30,589/yr	High	1.1x
244	University of Hartford West Hartford, CT	37 33–39	$29,515/yr	High	1.3x
245	Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, MO	37 33–40	$29,513/yr	High	1.7x
246	Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI	37 32–41	$29,489/yr	High	1.9x
247	Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ	37 34–38	$29,445/yr	High	0.9x
248	Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI	37 33–41	$28,801/yr	High	2.2x
249	Belmont University Nashville, TN	37 33–39	$28,702/yr	High	1.5x
250	Walla Walla University College Place, WA	37 34–38	$28,436/yr	High	1.2x
251	Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY	37 32–43	$28,336/yr	High	2.6x
252	Mercyhurst University Erie, PA	37 32–41	$28,267/yr	High	2.3x
253	North Central College Naperville, IL	37 32–40	$28,037/yr	High	2.1x
254	Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD	37 32–41	$27,969/yr	High	2.4x
255	Berkeley College-Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ	37 35–38	$27,937/yr	High	1.4x
256	Lesley University Cambridge, MA	37 32–41	$25,227/yr	High	2.9x
257	John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR	37 32–42	$24,893/yr	High	3.1x
258	Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA	37 30–43	$20,829/yr	High	4.2x
259	Maine College of Art & Design Portland, ME	36 33–38	$29,001/yr	High	1.3x
260	California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA	36 31–40	$28,673/yr	High	1.7x
261	California Baptist University Riverside, CA	36 33–38	$28,669/yr	High	0.8x
262	Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus, OH	36 32–38	$27,970/yr	High	1.6x
263	New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI	36 32–37	$27,383/yr	High	0.9x
264	Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL	35 31–38	$28,137/yr	High	1.0x
265	Assumption University Worcester, MA	35 31–37	$28,032/yr	High	0.4x
266	Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD	35 30–38	$27,246/yr	High	1.4x
267	Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ	35 32–37	$26,569/yr	High	1.4x
268	FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles, CA	35 32–37	$26,479/yr	High	0.9x
269	Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Lancaster, PA	35 32–36	$25,830/yr	High	1.1x
270	Marywood University Scranton, PA	35 31–39	$25,727/yr	High	2.1x
271	Bradley University Peoria, IL	35 29–40	$22,893/yr	High	2.5x
272	University of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA	35 32–36	$22,656/yr	High	1.5x
273	University of New Haven West Haven, CT	34 31–36	$26,425/yr	High	0.4x
274	The New School New York, NY	34 29–38	$24,804/yr	High	1.7x
275	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ	34 31–36	$24,357/yr	High	0.7x
276	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Madison, NJ	34 31–36	$24,357/yr	High	0.7x
277	Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN	34 29–37	$23,687/yr	High	1.6x
278	Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA	34 30–37	$23,400/yr	High	1.7x
279	Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA	34 30–36	$20,974/yr	High	1.7x
280	Roosevelt University Chicago, IL	34 31–35	$19,028/yr	High	1.3x
281	Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH	33 29–35	$23,358/yr	High	0.2x
282	Dominican University River Forest, IL	33 29–35	$22,938/yr	High	0.5x
283	University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA	33 28–36	$21,765/yr	High	1.2x
284	Art Academy of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH	33 28–35	$20,921/yr	High	1.3x
285	Webster University Saint Louis, MO	33 29–34	$20,257/yr	High	0.6x
286	Montserrat College of Art Beverly, MA	33 28–36	$19,865/yr	High	1.4x
287	Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA	32 28–36	$20,587/yr	High	1.3x
288	American Academy of Art College Chicago, IL	32 28–35	$19,537/yr	High	1.3x
289	Pacific Northwest College of Art Portland, OR	32 28–35	$19,501/yr	High	0.9x
290	School of Visual Arts New York, NY	32 27–38	$15,985/yr	High	1.6x

Highest Earning Design and Applied Arts Programs

Schools where Design and Applied Arts graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score	AI Risk
Carnegie Mellon University	$66,274/yr	56	High
University of Southern California	$64,846/yr	55	High
University of Washington-Seattle Campus	$63,449/yr	72	High
University of California-Los Angeles	$57,615/yr	69	High
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	$52,694/yr	70	High
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	$52,526/yr	66	High
Utah State University	$52,431/yr	64	High
Interior Designers Institute	$51,188/yr	57	High
Wentworth Institute of Technology	$50,599/yr	54	High
University of Wisconsin-Madison	$49,780/yr	66	High

Best ROI for Design and Applied Arts

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Design and Applied Arts.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Seminole State College of Florida	29.4x	$39,221/yr	68
University of Florida	27.8x	$43,144/yr	69
Western Carolina University	27.5x	$32,842/yr	62
Bellevue College	25.7x	$45,947/yr	71
California State University-Long Beach	23.2x	$37,395/yr	64
San Francisco State University	22.9x	$34,845/yr	62
University of North Georgia	22.9x	$26,823/yr	56
Fashion Institute of Technology	22.7x	$27,023/yr	56
Florida State University	22.2x	$49,144/yr	72
Brigham Young University	21.8x	$33,915/yr	61

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Design and Applied Arts graduates earn?

Across 290 schools, Design and Applied Arts graduates earn an average of $33,862 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $7,580 to $66,274 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Design and Applied Arts?

Design and Applied Arts is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 42% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Design and Applied Arts program?

Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks #1 for Design and Applied Arts with a score of 72/100 and graduate earnings of $63,449/yr.

Is a Design and Applied Arts degree worth it?

On average, Design and Applied Arts graduates earn 7.3x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.

About This Data

This page aggregates Design and Applied Arts programs across 290 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.

The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.