2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 36,301 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $25,481 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 545 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,807 and $23,790 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 90 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,340 and $19,937 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in design and applied arts.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa” 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. 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.

Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa associate degree design students.

Top 6 Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Iowa

1

Iowa Lakes Community College
Estherville, Iowa

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Lakes Community College landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa Lakes Community College is located in Estherville, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa Lakes Community College

2

Hawkeye Community College
Waterloo, Iowa

$20,750 Average Student Debt

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Hawkeye Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Waterloo, Iowa, and it awarded 15 associates’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Hawkeye Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

3

Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, Iowa

#19 overall quality in Iowa

$24,286 Average Early-Career Earnings

$14,167 Average Student Debt

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa. Des Moines Area Community College is a large school located in Ankeny, Iowa that handed out 40 associates’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Des Moines Area Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

4

Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kirkwood Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 22 associates’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Kirkwood Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

5

Western Iowa Tech Community College
Sioux City, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa. Western Iowa Tech Community College is located in Sioux City, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Western Iowa Tech Community College

6

Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge, Iowa

#23 overall quality in Iowa

With a ranking of #6, Iowa Central Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized school located in Fort Dodge, Iowa that handed out 2 associates’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa Central Community College

• Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region
• Most Focused Associate 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

• *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.