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2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California

10 Ranked Colleges
1,223 Degrees Awarded
$23,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California.

Top 10 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts 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. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,782 for California Associate Degree Design students per year to attend SRJC.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Santa Rosa Junior College

#2

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Los Angeles Trade Technical College is $6,907 for california associate degree design students.

Full Los Angeles Trade Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Antonio College landed the #3 spot on the list. Mt. SAC is a large school located in Walnut, California that handed out 23 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mt. San Antonio College is $1,729 for california associate degree design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Mt. SAC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and 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 yearly cost to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is $41,505 for california associate degree design students.

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

#5

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 18 associates’s design 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 $34,145 for California Associate Degree Design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

#7

Interior Designers Institute

Newport Beach, California

Interior Designers Institute ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California list. Interior Designers Institute is a small private for-profit school situated in Newport Beach, California. It awarded 36 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Interior Designers Institute, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Interior Designers Institute is $29,030 for California Associate Degree Design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute

#8

Platt College - San Diego

San Diego, California

Platt College - San Diego landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 75 degrees 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 $26,218 for California Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Platt College - San Diego.

Full Platt College - San Diego Design & Applied Arts Report

#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 ranking. Platt College - Ontario is a small school located in Ontario, California that handed out 15 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students list, Platt College - Ontario has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Platt College - Ontario is $23,287 for california associate degree design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - Ontario

#10

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California ranking. 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.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students list, MSMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,214 for california associate degree design students per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Mount Saint Mary’s University

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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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