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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Virginia, there were 920 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,840 and $28,070 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 75 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Master’s in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia

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

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Virginia

#1

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$29,228 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #1 spot on the list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at VCU are $29,228, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$8,349 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Liberty University

#3

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$20,116 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Marymount University landed the #3 spot on the list. Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Arlington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Marymount, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Marymount University are $20,116, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Marymount University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Southeast 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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