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

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 53 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University

#2

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 15 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

#3

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$30,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$110,432 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Tech are $30,695.

Full Illinois Tech Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #4 spot on the list. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, DePaul has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at DePaul

#5

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$43,912 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 19 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” 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

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k)

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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