2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 the Plains States region, there were 2,352 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,931 and $22,419 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 52 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 5 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

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 the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree design students with aid.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UMN Twin Cities Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$25,948 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$35,416 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State University

#3

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

#4 in overall quality

$15,112 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wichita State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Wichita State University is located in Wichita, Kansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

WSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Wichita State University

#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

KU also took the #0 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Kansas Design & Applied Arts Report

#5

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$41,794 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$55,512 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minneapolis College of Art and Design. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. MCAD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MCAD, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Minneapolis College of Art and Design are $41,794.

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

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

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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