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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

14 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
1,356 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,608 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 14 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. Combined, these schools handed out 1,356 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region The design program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts rankings. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Design & Applied Arts 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 the Rocky Mountains Region 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 the Rocky Mountains Region

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 Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Design

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Design Degrees Awarded
$39,924 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Brigham Young University - Provo if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Provo. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Brigham Young University - Provo get $7,316 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Brigham Young University - Provo

2
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
35 Design Degrees Awarded
20.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Utah is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. U of U is a fairly large public university located in the city of Salt Lake City. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 35 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at University of Utah earn $20,139 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
454 Design Degrees Awarded
36.8% Growth in Graduates

Utah Valley University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Orem, UVU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #279 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UVU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 454 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Utah Valley University earn $2,041 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CO

Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to check out University of Denver. Located in the city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #126 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent data year.

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

5
Salt Lake Community College crest
Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Design Degrees Awarded
$27,755 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 8th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were roughly 60.99999999999999 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Salt Lake Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually make about $27,755 in the first five years of their career.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Design Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Boise, Boise State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #526 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boise State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 109 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Boise State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,706.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
122 Design Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

RMCAD is a small private for-profit college located in the city of Lakewood.

There were approximately 122 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at RMCAD in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn around $27,370 for their early career.

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

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Design Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Littleton, Arapahoe Community College is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 24th out of 33 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 61 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Arapahoe Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program make about $34,159 for their early career.

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

9
LDS Business College crest
LDS Business College
Salt Lake City, UT
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Design Degrees Awarded
51.4% Growth in Graduates

LDS Business College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.

There were roughly 72 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at LDS Business College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients typically make an average of $28,139 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from LDS Business College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Design Degrees Awarded
$38,846 Median Starting Salary

WSU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Ogden. This university ranks 6th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were approximately 40 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WSU in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Weber State University get an earnings boost of about $6,238 above the typical earnings of design & applied arts majors.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design & applied arts schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Colorado275316
Utah266569
Idaho219125
Montana18825
Wyoming16222

View All Rankings >

Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Design Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Visual Communications556
Interior Design236
Graphic Design192
Game & Interactive Media Design113
Industrial Design83
Illustration64
Commercial Photography47
Commercial & Advertising Art39
Other Design & Applied Arts17
Fashion Design9

View All Design Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Design

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts1,197
Music1,032
Film, Video & Photographic Arts844
Drama & Theater Arts558
Dance178
General Visual & Performing Arts104
Arts & Media Management55
Other Visual Art26

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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