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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in California

9 Ranked Colleges
241 Degrees Awarded
$38,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Design Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. 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 $30-$48k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design and applied arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UCLA

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 25 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Southern California

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University

#4

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California College of the Arts are $53,795, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts

#5

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Art Center College of Design. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Art Center College of Design, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Art Center College of Design are $49,090, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design

#6

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, California
#7 in overall quality

Laguna College of Art and Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Laguna Beach, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

LCAD also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at Laguna College of Art and Design are $37,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at LCAD

#7

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

#8

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Otis College of Art and Design landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 11 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Otis College of Art and Design also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. 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.

Full Otis College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, New York Film Academy did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 8 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New York Film Academy, the school also landed the #9 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 New York Film Academy are $35,457.

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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