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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 $48-$75k” ranking.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. 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.

UCLA also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131.

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

#2

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Southern California

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at SFSU

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 44 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 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 California College of the Arts are $53,795.

Full California College of the Arts Design & Applied Arts Report

#5

National University

La Jolla, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the #5 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at National University

#6

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #6, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

#7

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#5 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 29 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Art Center College of Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Art Center College of Design are $49,090, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design

#8

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, California
#7 in overall quality

Laguna 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 $48-$75k ranking. LCAD is located in Laguna Beach, California and, has a small 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 $48-$75k list, LCAD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at LCAD are $37,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#9

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Otis College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Otis College of Art and Design is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 11 masters’s design degrees 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at Otis College of Art and Design are $49,680, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design

#10

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, New York Film Academy did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 8 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 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 New York Film Academy are $35,457.

Read full report on 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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