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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Michigan

12 Colleges in Michigan
1,055 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,886 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #36 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Michigan ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,055 degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Michigan Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Design & Applied Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Design
Bachelor's Degrees in Design
Master's Degrees in Design

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Michigan list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Michigan

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the design degree levels they offer.

10 Top Michigan Schools in Design

1
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
97 Design Degrees Awarded
$37,306 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Michigan State University if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 97 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at Michigan State University get $4,420 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Michigan State University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Design Degrees Awarded
$38,087 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to look into College for Creative Studies. CCS is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Detroit.

There were roughly 165 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at CCS in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from College for Creative Studies receive $5,201 more than the typical design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from College for Creative Studies

3

It's difficult to beat Lawrence Technological University if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Lawrence Tech is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Southfield. This university ranks 19th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 13 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Lawrence Tech in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Lawrence Technological University get an earnings boost of about $40,826 above the average earnings of design & applied arts majors.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Lawrence Technological University

4
Ferris crest
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Design Degrees Awarded
25.9% Growth in Graduates

Ferris State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the distant town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 112 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Ferris in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career wages of $31,519.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Ferris State University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Design Degrees Awarded
49.2% Growth in Graduates

WMU is a large public university located in the city of Kalamazoo. A Best Colleges rank of #335 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 59 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WMU in the most recent data year. After graduating, design degree recipients generally make about $34,068 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Western Michigan University

6
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Design Degrees Awarded
17.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #402 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Central Michigan is a great university overall.

There were about 69 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $34,718 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Central Michigan University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MI
55 Design Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 55 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Eastern Michigan in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Eastern Michigan University

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Design Degrees Awarded
34.2% Growth in Graduates

Macomb Community College is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Warren. A Best Colleges rank of #377 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Macomb Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 73 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Macomb Community College in the most recent data year. After graduating, design degree recipients generally earn around $26,659 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Macomb Community College

9
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,025 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #447 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Oakland is a great university overall.

There were approximately 58 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Oakland in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually make an average of $32,025 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Oakland University

10
Saginaw Valley State University crest
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,017 Median Starting Salary
$27,750 Median Student Debt

Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public university located in the medium-sized suburb of University Center. This university ranks 25th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 27 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Saginaw Valley State University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program make around $28,017 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Saginaw Valley State University

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 314 1,443
Illinois 304 978
Indiana 294 417
Wisconsin 273 717

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 423
Interior Design 160
Commercial & Advertising Art 127
Illustration 91
Industrial Design 90
Fashion Design 65
Game & Interactive Media Design 55
Visual Communications 31
Other Design & Applied Arts 12
Commercial Photography 1

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 744
Fine & Studio Arts 734
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 523
Drama & Theater Arts 364
Dance 99
Arts & Media Management 52
Other Visual Art 13
General Visual & Performing Arts 11
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 11

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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