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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

10 Ranked Colleges
241 Degrees Awarded
$36,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Design Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Design & Applied Arts is the 34th most popular major in the country with 36,854 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,692 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,196 and $27,472 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 241 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at San Francisco State University are $17,944.

Full San Francisco State University Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at USC

#4

National University

La Jolla, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

National University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at National University are $15,480, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at National University

#5

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California College of the Arts. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at California College of the Arts, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California College of the Arts are $53,795, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts

#6

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#5 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 29 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Art Center College of Design are $49,090.

Full Art Center College of Design Design & Applied Arts Report

#7

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, California
#7 in overall quality

Laguna College of Art and Design ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Laguna College of Art and Design is a small school located in Laguna Beach, California that handed out 9 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

LCAD also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Laguna College of Art and Design are $37,700.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at LCAD

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Academy of Art University Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Otis College of Art and Design landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

Otis College of Art and Design also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Otis College of Art and Design are $49,680.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design

#10

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#9 in overall quality

New York Film Academy came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Burbank, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy also took the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at New York Film Academy are $35,457, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at New York Film Academy

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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