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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in New York

16 Colleges in New York
1,475 Associate Degrees
$23,646 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #19 in popularity, design & applied arts is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 16 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,475 associate degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Associate Degree

Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in New York The design associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for design & applied arts students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Design Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in New York ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in New York

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in design & applied arts.

10 Top New York Schools for an Associate in Design

1
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
128 Annual Graduates
$45,981 Median Starting Salary
$21,211 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat The New School if you wish to pursue an associate degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Associate recipients from the design & applied arts major at The New School earn $22,335 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from The New School

2
763 Annual Graduates
$18,128 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in design & applied arts has to check out Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.

Students who graduate with their associate from the design program report average early career wages of $18,128.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Fashion Institute of Technology

3
38 Annual Graduates
$12,000 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in design & applied arts has to check out Pratt Institute - Main. Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Pratt Institute - Main

4
12 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Rochester Institute of Technology. Located in the large suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Rochester Institute of Technology

5
LaGuardia crest
LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY

LaGuardia is a fairly large public college located in the city of Long Island City.

Those design & applied arts students who get their associate degree from LaGuardia Community College earn $3,558 more than the typical design student.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from LaGuardia Community College

6

Located in the large city of Brooklyn, KCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, design associate recipients generally earn an average of $19,968 in their early careers.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Kingsborough Community College

7
52 Annual Graduates

City Tech is a large public college located in the large city of Brooklyn.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from New York City College of Technology

8
Nassau Community College crest
Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY
54 Annual Graduates
$22,077 Median Starting Salary
$10,600 Median Student Debt

Nassau Community College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Garden City.

Students who graduate with their associate from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $22,077.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Nassau Community College

9
44 Annual Graduates
$21,568 Median Starting Salary
$10,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Rochester, Monroe Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the design program report average early career wages of $21,568.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Monroe Community College

10
31 Annual Graduates
$20,538 Median Starting Salary
$9,132 Median Student Debt

Suffolk County Community College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Selden.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the design program make around $20,538 for their early career.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Suffolk County Community College

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 179 170
New Jersey 137 174
Maryland 126 178
Delaware 60 31
District of Columbia 36 12

View All Rankings >

Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Design Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Fashion Design 436
Commercial & Advertising Art 334
Interior Design 191
Illustration 167
Graphic Design 156
Commercial Photography 101
Visual Communications 48
Game & Interactive Media Design 28
Industrial Design 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 478
Drama & Theater Arts 349
General Visual & Performing Arts 327
Music 134
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 65
Dance 15
Arts & Media Management 7

Notes and References

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