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2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k

9 Ranked Colleges
1,223 Degrees Awarded
$27,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that 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 California, there were 4,692 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,196 and $27,472 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 1,223 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k” 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.

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 the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california associate degree design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 9 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Santa Rosa Junior College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k. SRJC is located in Santa Rosa, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

SRJC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Santa Rosa Junior College is $9,366 for california associate degree design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Santa Rosa Junior College Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mt. San Antonio College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Walnut, California, this large public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $6,368 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Mt. SAC.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Mt. San Antonio College

#3

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students whose families make $75-$110k list, Los Angeles Trade Technical College has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,436 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

Full Los Angeles Trade Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k. FIDM Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 318 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

FIDM Los Angeles not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM Los Angeles is $45,466 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

#5

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mount Saint Mary’s University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Mount Saint Mary’s University is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSMU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $30,470 for california associate degree design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at MSMU

#7

Platt College - San Diego

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #7, Platt College - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in San Diego, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - San Diego did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $31,563 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Platt College - San Diego.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #8, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $36,626 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#9

Platt College - Ontario

Ontario, California

Platt College - Ontario came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Ontario, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Platt College - Ontario is $29,199 for california associate degree design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - Ontario

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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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