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.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in Iowa to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 545 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.
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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
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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.
Iowa State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were about 252 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Iowa State University get an earnings boost of about $5,258 over the average income of design & applied arts majors.
It's difficult to beat Drake University if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Des Moines. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.
There were roughly 16 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year.
Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Luther College. Located in the remote town of Decorah, Luther is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 7th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were about 11 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Luther in the most recent year we have data available.
University of Northern Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in design & applied arts. UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the small city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.
There were about 50 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at University of Northern Iowa earn $2,993 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
DMACC is a very large public college located in the suburb of Ankeny. This college ranks 12th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 87 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically earn an average of $24,286 in their early careers.
Located in the city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 26th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 6 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Grand View University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients generally earn around $31,077 at the beginning of their careers.
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The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
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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.
