2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 the Great Lakes Region 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 5,582 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,377 and $26,458 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 190 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 19 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 19 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwestern has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, U-M has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.
Notre Dame not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Notre Dame are $57,522.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
Purdue also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ferris State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Big Rapids, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.
Ferris also took the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ferris are $7,908, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, IUPUI has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis are $26,013.
University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stout, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Stout are $16,851, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 15 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.
UIC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago
Ball State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Ball State University are $26,204.
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Institute of Technology are $30,695, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 10 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
UC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC are $26,644.
Eastern Michigan University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.
Eastern Michigan also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Michigan University are $26,552, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Eastern Michigan
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 15 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Kent State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Kent State are $21,952.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.
BGSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at BGSU are $15,823, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 15 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
OHIO Athens also took the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio University - Athens Campus are $17,712, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Columbus College of Art and Design ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbus College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CCAD are $37,370.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbus College of Art and Design
College for Creative Studies landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CCS, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CCS are $49,655.
With a ranking of #18, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePaul has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760.
With a ranking of #19, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago also took the #14 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at School of the Art Institute of Chicago are $43,912.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago
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Best Design & Applied Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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Design & Applied Arts students with family income $48-$75k in the Great Lakes Region
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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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