College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Tennessee

18 Ranked Colleges
354 Degrees Awarded
$27,700 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee” 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 Tennessee, there were 354 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,525 and $29,136 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Design Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee” 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee design students.

Top 18 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Tennessee

1
Nossi College of Art crest
Nossi College of Art
Madison, Tennessee

Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Nossi College of Art landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Madison, Tennessee, and it awarded 42 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Nossi College of Art Design & Applied Arts Report

2
Maryville College crest
Maryville College
Maryville, Tennessee

Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Maryville College landed the #2 spot on the list. Maryville College is a small school located in Maryville, Tennessee that handed out 7 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Maryville College Design & Applied Arts Report

3
Chattanooga State Community College crest
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chattanooga State Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Full Chattanooga State Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

4
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Belmont University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee. Belmont University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Belmont

5
Southern Adventist crest
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, Tennessee

Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Adventist University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Collegedale, Tennessee, and it awarded 12 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Southern Adventist Design & Applied Arts Report

6

Pellissippi State Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. This medium-sized school is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it awarded 29 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Pellissippi State Community College

7

Nashville State Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

Full Nashville State Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

8
Lipscomb crest
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee

Lipscomb University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. This small school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 18 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Lipscomb

9

Southwest Tennessee Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. Southwest Tennessee Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 14 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Southwest Design & Applied Arts Report

10
Christian Brothers crest
Christian Brothers University
Memphis, Tennessee

Christian Brothers University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee ranking. Christian Brothers is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 5 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Christian Brothers

11
Milligan crest
Milligan University
Milligan College, Tennessee

Milligan University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. Milligan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Milligan College, Tennessee. It awarded 3 ’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 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Milligan

12
ETSU crest
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee

East Tennessee State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee ranking. ETSU is a fairly large school located in Johnson City, Tennessee that handed out 28 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at East Tennessee State University

13

With a ranking of #13, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a fairly large public school situated in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It awarded 11 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Design & Applied Arts Report

14
FHU crest
Freed-Hardeman University
Henderson, Tennessee

Freed-Hardeman University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee ranking. FHU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Henderson, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 FHU

15
Carson - Newman crest
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, Tennessee

Carson - Newman University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. Carson - Newman University is a small school located in Jefferson City, Tennessee that handed out 3 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Carson - Newman

16
Middle Tennessee State University crest
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Middle Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #16. Murfreesboro, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

Full Middle Tennessee State University Design & Applied Arts Report

17

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee ranking. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, this large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Design & Applied Arts Report

18
UofM crest
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

With a ranking of #18, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Tennessee list. UofM is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UofM

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options