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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region

84 Ranked Colleges
1,402 Degrees Awarded
$33,545 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 the Plains States region, there were 2,327 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,239 and $24,704 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,402 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,046 and $29,021 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 84 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their design and applied arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region”.

Top 26 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region

1

Out of the 84 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Minneapolis College of Art and Design landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Minneapolis College of Art and Design

2
Kansas City Art Institute crest
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kansas City Art Institute. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Kansas City Art Institute

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stevens - The Institute of Business & Arts. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this small private for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Siba

4
McPherson College crest
McPherson College
McPherson, Kansas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McPherson College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region. McPherson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in McPherson, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at McPherson College

5
Tabor crest
Tabor College
Hillsboro, Kansas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tabor College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Tabor College is a small school located in Hillsboro, Kansas that handed out 4 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Tabor

6

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 239 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State

7
Stephens crest
Stephens College
Columbia, Missouri

Stephens College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Stephens College

8
Dunwoody College of Technology crest
Dunwoody College of Technology
Minneapolis, Minnesota

With a ranking of #8, Dunwoody College of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 11 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Dunwoody College of Technology

9
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa

With a ranking of #9, Luther College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Luther is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Luther College

10
Drury University crest
Drury University
Springfield, Missouri

Drury University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Springfield, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Drury University

11
Bemidji State University crest
Bemidji State University
Bemidji, Minnesota

With a ranking of #11, Bemidji State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Bemidji State University is a small public school situated in Bemidji, Minnesota. It awarded 23 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bemidji State University

12
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

South Dakota State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at South Dakota State

13
Union College crest
Union College Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska

With a ranking of #13, Union College Nebraska did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Union College Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 4 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Union College Nebraska Design & Applied Arts Report

14

University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a medium-sized school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 44 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Design & Applied Arts Report

15
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UNI

16
BLC crest
Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, Minnesota

Bethany Lutheran College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bethany Lutheran College

17

University of Northwestern - St Paul did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. University of Northwestern - St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Northwestern - St Paul

18
Augsburg crest
Augsburg University
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Augsburg University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Augsburg

19
Bellevue University crest
Bellevue University
Bellevue, Nebraska

Bellevue University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Bellevue, Nebraska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Bellevue University

20
Culver - Stockton crest
Culver - Stockton College
Canton, Missouri

With a ranking of #20, Culver - Stockton College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Culver - Stockton is a small school located in Canton, Missouri that handed out 4 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Culver - Stockton

21

Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Maryville University of Saint Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 42 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Maryville University of Saint Louis Design & Applied Arts Report

22
Missouri Western crest
Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, Missouri

Missouri Western State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #22. Missouri Western State University is a public institution located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Missouri Western

23

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Graceland University - Lamoni is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lamoni, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Graceland Lamoni

24

MidAmerica Nazarene University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Olathe, Kansas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full MidAmerica Nazarene University Design & Applied Arts Report

25
UJ crest
University of Jamestown
Jamestown, North Dakota

With a ranking of #25, University of Jamestown did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Jamestown, North Dakota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UJ

25
Bethel College - North Newton crest
Bethel College - North Newton
North Newton, Kansas

Bethel College - North Newton did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #25. Bethel College - North Newton is a private not-for-profit institution located in North Newton, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bethel College - North Newton

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