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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Ohio

20 Colleges in Ohio
1,941 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,428 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #36 in popularity, design & applied arts is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 20 schools in Ohio to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,941 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 Ohio Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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 Ohio list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Ohio

The schools below may not offer all types of design degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Ohio Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 Design Degrees Awarded
15.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were about 253.00000000000003 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of around $18,720 above the typical income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Design Degrees Awarded
8.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Ohio State University - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 47 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $8,851 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Design Degrees Awarded
9.2% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Miami University - Oxford if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were about 76 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Miami University - Oxford make $7,864 more than the average design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Miami University - Oxford

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
238 Design Degrees Awarded
$35,399 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to look into Kent State University at Kent. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #388 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were about 238 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Kent State University at Kent make $3,971 more than the standard design graduate.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Design Degrees Awarded
$27,261 Median Starting Salary

CCAD is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Columbus.

There were roughly 119 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at CCAD in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients typically make around $27,261 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Columbus College of Art and Design

6
Cedarville crest
Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Design Degrees Awarded
32.7% Growth in Graduates

Cedarville is a small private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Cedarville. This university ranks 26th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 49 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Cedarville in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Cedarville University make $2,254 more than the standard design grad.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Design Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Cleveland, CIA is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 66 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at CIA in the most recent data year. After graduation, design degree recipients generally make about $29,035 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Cleveland Institute of Art

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Design Degrees Awarded
$27,746 Median Starting Salary

Sinclair Community College is a large public college located in the city of Dayton. This college ranks 30th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 153 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Sinclair Community College in the most recent data year. After graduating, design degree recipients generally make around $27,746 at the beginning of their careers.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 Design Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #665 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means BGSU is a great university overall.

There were about 88 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus earn a boost of about $4,733 over the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

10

Located in the city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UDayton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 18 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from University of Dayton make $7,229 more than the standard design graduate.

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

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
Michigan 322 997
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
Visual Communications 384
Commercial & Advertising Art 381
Graphic Design 262
Fashion Design 237
Commercial Photography 178
Interior Design 177
Industrial Design 132
Illustration 80
Game & Interactive Media Design 74
Other Design & Applied Arts 36

View All Design Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Design

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 1,148
Fine & Studio Arts 907
Drama & Theater Arts 558
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 371
General Visual & Performing Arts 209
Arts & Media Management 145
Dance 103
Other Visual Art 20
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 19

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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