2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 53 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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 Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 15 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UIC

#2

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at DePaul University

#3

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$30,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$110,432 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Institute of Technology are $30,695, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Tech

#4

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$43,912 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 19 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree design students list, School of the Art Institute of Chicago has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at School of the Art Institute of Chicago are $43,912, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Design & Applied Arts Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts

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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