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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California (With Aid)

10 Ranked Colleges
241 Degrees Awarded
$36,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Design Schools for a Master's in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 10 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California (With Aid)

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #3 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 University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot on the list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees 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 San Francisco State University are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

National University

La Jolla, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree design students with aid list, National University has also earned the #0 rank 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at National University

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 25 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 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 University of Southern California are $48,715.

Full USC Design & Applied Arts Report

#5

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. 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 102 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also took 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Academy of Art University Design & Applied Arts Report

#6

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, California
#7 in overall quality

Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Laguna College of Art and Design is a small school located in Laguna Beach, California that handed out 9 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

LCAD also took the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Laguna College of Art and Design are $37,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#7

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California College of the Arts is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 44 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts also took the #2 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 California College of the Arts are $53,795.

Full California College of the Arts Design & Applied Arts Report

#8

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#5 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Art Center College of Design is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. 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.

Full Art Center College of Design Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

New York Film Academy ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. New York Film Academy is a private for-profit institution located in Burbank, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 masters’s 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.

Full New York Film Academy Design & Applied Arts Report

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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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