2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 an Associate in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 the Southwest region, there were 3,229 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,160 and $27,678 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 762 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,605 and $16,886 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 17 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 the Southwest Region”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region associate degree design students.
Top 17 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Southwest Region
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Collin County Community College District landed the #1 spot on the list. Collin County Community College District is a large public school situated in McKinney, Texas. It awarded 77 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Collin County Community College District also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Collin County Community College District is $6,293 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Collin County Community College District
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
OSU Institute of Technology did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is $6,500 for southwest region associate degree design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at OSU Institute of Technology
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jacinto Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Pasadena, Texas, and it awarded 28 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree design students list, San Jacinto College has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jacinto Community College is $8,692 for southwest region associate degree design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jacinto Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Austin Community College District. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 55 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Austin Community College District not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $6,861 for southwest region associate degree design students per year to attend Austin Community College District.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Austin Community College District
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Scottsdale Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Scottsdale Community College is a medium-sized school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 28 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree design students list, Scottsdale Community College has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,397 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Scottsdale Community College.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Scottsdale Community College
With a ranking of #6, Texas State Technical College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Waco, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s design degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.
TSTC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,114 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Texas State Technical College.
Full Texas State Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report
Mesa Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Mesa Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Mesa, Arizona. It awarded 29 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Mesa Community College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $9,669 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Mesa Community College.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Mesa Community College
Phoenix College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Phoenix College is a public institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Phoenix College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,744 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students per year to attend Phoenix College.
San Antonio College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. San Antonio College is a fairly large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 22 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
San Antonio College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Antonio College is $5,882 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at San Antonio College
With a ranking of #10, Pima Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this fairly large public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.
Pima County Community College District also took the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pima County Community College District is $3,583 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
With a ranking of #11, The Art Institute of Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. The Art Institute of Dallas is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
The Art Institute of Dallas also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The Art Institute of Dallas is $21,605 for southwest region associate degree design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas
Kilgore College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Kilgore, Texas, and it awarded 15 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kilgore College, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kilgore College is $7,593 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
South Plains College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. South Plains College is a public institution located in Levelland, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Plains College, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Plains College is $7,600 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
The Art Institute of Houston landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this small private for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.
Ai Houston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The Art Institute of Houston is $22,844 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Houston
With a ranking of #15, Sessions College for Professional Design did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Sessions College is a small school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 24 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Sessions College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $12,013 for southwest region associate degree design students per year to attend Sessions College for Professional Design.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Sessions College for Professional Design
The Art Institute of San Antonio landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.
Ai San Antonio also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend The Art Institute of San Antonio is $22,421 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
With a ranking of #17, The Art Institute of Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. The Art Institute of Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.
Ai Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The Art Institute of Austin is $24,156 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Design students.
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Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
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Design & Applied Arts students in the Southwest Region
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Design & Applied Arts students with family income $48-$75k in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Southwest Region
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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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