2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Oregon

Ranked #27 in popularity, design & applied arts is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Oregon ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 303 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Your choice of design & applied arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to design & applied arts students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other design & applied arts students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt design & applied arts students go into to obtain their bachelor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized design & applied arts related body.

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 bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Oregon.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in Oregon

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for design & applied arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

Top Oregon Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1

Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR

114 Annual Graduates

$36,545 Median Starting Salary

$23,419 Median Student Debt

Oregon State University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts program at Oregon State University earn $3,202 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Oregon State University

2

George Fox University
Newberg, OR

17 Annual Graduates

George Fox University is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. GFU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Newberg.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from George Fox University

3

University of Oregon
Eugene, OR

51 Annual Graduates

$36,661 Median Starting Salary

$29,050 Median Student Debt

University of Oregon is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Eugene, UO is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Oregon receive $3,318 more than the typical design graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Oregon

4

Portland State University
Portland, OR

83 Annual Graduates

$36,317 Median Starting Salary

$26,995 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Portland State University. Located in the large city of Portland, Portland State University is a public university with a very large student population.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Portland State University receive an earnings boost of about $2,974 over the typical income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Portland State University

5

Pacific Northwest College of Art
Portland, OR

32 Annual Graduates

$20,535 Median Starting Salary

$26,899 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Portland, Pacific Northwest College of Art is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career income of $20,535.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Pacific Northwest College of Art

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
California	262	2,446
Washington	226	348
Nevada	129	61
Hawaii	112	10

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Rankings in Majors Related to Design

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Graphic Design	93
Interior Design	76
Other Design & Applied Arts	54
Visual Communications	49
Illustration	31

Majors Similar to Design

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts	368
Music	194
Drama & Theater Arts	152
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	150
General Visual & Performing Arts	62
Dance	20
Other Visual Art	10
Arts & Media Management	3

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.