2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 an Associate” 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.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 8,339 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,082 and $17,678 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate” ranking analyzed 168 colleges that offered 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.
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.
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More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
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” 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 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 an Associate
The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree design students.
Top 25 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Madison Area Technical College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate. Madison College is a fairly large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 102 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Madison College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $9,904 for associate degree design students per year to attend Madison College.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Alexandria Technical & Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate. Located in Alexandria, Minnesota, this small public school awarded 32 degrees to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.
ATCC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend ATCC is $13,550 for associate degree design students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Collin County Community College District. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate. Collin County Community College District is located in McKinney, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
Collin County Community College District also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Collin County Community College District is $6,293 for Associate Degree Design students.
Full Collin County Community College District Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 168 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, LDS Business College landed the #4 spot on the list. LDS Business College is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, LDS Business College also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for LDS Business College is $7,832 for associate degree design students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Metropolitan Community College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate. MCC is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 54 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MCC is also in the top of our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Metropolitan Community College is $4,295 for associate degree design students.
With a ranking of #6, Fox Valley Technical College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. This fairly large school is located in Appleton, Wisconsin, and it awarded 45 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
FVTC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fox Valley Technical College is $11,127 for Associate Degree Design students.
Full Fox Valley Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report
Western Technical College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. Western Technical College is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Western Technical College is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Western Technical College is $10,081 for Associate Degree Design students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Western Technical College
North Hennepin Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. North Hennepin Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It awarded 11 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for North Hennepin Community College is $10,284 for associate degree design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at North Hennepin Community College
Moraine Park Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. Moraine Park Technical College is a small public school situated in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. It awarded 21 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Moraine Park Technical College also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $9,143 for associate degree design students per year to attend Moraine Park Technical College.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Moraine Park Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #10, Waukesha County Technical College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. This medium-sized school is located in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 28 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, WCTC is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $10,165 for Associate Degree Design students per year to attend WCTC.
Chattahoochee Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. Chattahoochee Technical College is a medium-sized school located in Marietta, Georgia that handed out 45 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Chattahoochee Technical College is $1,137 for associate degree design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Chattahoochee Technical College
With a ranking of #12, Macomb Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. Located in Warren, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.
Macomb Community College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,724 for Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Macomb Community College.
Johnson County Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #13. Johnson County Community College is a fairly large school located in Overland Park, Kansas that handed out 77 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our associate degree design students list, JCCC has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,632 for Associate Degree Design students per year to attend JCCC.
Sinclair Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Sinclair Community College is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Sinclair Community College is $4,208 for associate degree design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Sinclair Community College
Wake Technical Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #15. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s design degrees to 95 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our associate degree design students list, Wake Technical Community College has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Technical Community College is $6,876 for associate degree design students.
Full Wake Technical Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
Northern Virginia Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Annandale, Virginia, and it awarded 61 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Northern Virginia Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Virginia Community College is $10,005 for Associate Degree Design students.
Full Northern Virginia Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
Oakland Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Oakland Community College is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Oakland Community College is $2,825 for associate degree design students.
Gateway Technical College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Gateway Technical College is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Gateway Technical College is $9,252 for Associate Degree Design students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Central Piedmont Community College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 53 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Central Piedmont Community College also took the #22 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,002 for Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Central Piedmont Community College.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Central Piedmont Community College
With a ranking of #20, Century College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. Century College is a medium-sized public school situated in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It awarded 37 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Century College is $10,808 for Associate Degree Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Century College
Bismarck State College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate list. This small school is located in Bismarck, North Dakota, and it awarded 13 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend BSC is $9,420 for associate degree design students.
Seminole State College of Florida came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Seminole State is a public institution located in Sanford, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Seminole State also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Seminole State is $8,326 for Associate Degree Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Seminole State College of Florida
Ivy Tech Community College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Ivy Tech Community College is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 118 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Ivy Tech Community College is $6,919 for associate degree design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Ivy Tech Community College
University of South Dakota came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s design degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend USD is $18,555 for associate degree design students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Clover Park Technical College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate ranking, coming in at #24. CPTC is located in Lakewood, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $7,904 for associate degree design students per year to attend Clover Park Technical College.
Rest of the Best 26 in Best Value Design Schools for an Associate
Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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