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

17 Colleges in Ohio
1,074 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,777 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #27 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Ohio ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,074 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Ohio 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

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

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's 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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for design & applied arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Ohio list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

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

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

10 Top Ohio Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1
235 Annual Graduates
$50,148 Median Starting Salary
$25,851 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to check out University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus make $17,371 more than the standard design student.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

2
47 Annual Graduates
$40,279 Median Starting Salary
$25,100 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to look into Ohio State University - Main Campus. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn a boost of around $7,502 above the average income of design & applied arts majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus

3
73 Annual Graduates
$39,292 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Miami University - Oxford is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a large student population.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Miami University - Oxford make $6,515 more than the standard design graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Miami University - Oxford

4
223 Annual Graduates
$35,399 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Kent State University at Kent if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a very large student population.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Kent State University at Kent receive $2,622 more than the average design student.

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

5
119 Annual Graduates
$27,261 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

CCAD is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Columbus.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the design program earn about $27,261 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Columbus College of Art and Design

6
Cedarville crest
Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH
49 Annual Graduates
$33,682 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Cedarville is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Cedarville.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program report average early career income of $33,682.

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

7
43 Annual Graduates
$33,970 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public university with a large student population.

Soon after graduating, design bachelor's recipients typically make about $33,970 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

8
66 Annual Graduates
$29,035 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Cleveland, CIA is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program report average early career income of $29,035.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Cleveland Institute of Art

9

Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Dayton earn $5,880 more than the typical design student.

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

10
22 Annual Graduates
$31,458 Median Starting Salary
$26,791 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the design program make an average of $31,458 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Ohio University - Athens Campus

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 703
Illinois 241 768
Indiana 235 289
Wisconsin 213 396

View All Rankings >

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
Fashion Design 228
Graphic Design 183
Commercial & Advertising Art 141
Industrial Design 132
Visual Communications 126
Interior Design 121
Illustration 73
Game & Interactive Media Design 46
Commercial Photography 13
Other Design & Applied Arts 11

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 784
Music 624
Drama & Theater Arts 453
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 265
Arts & Media Management 103
Dance 92
General Visual & Performing Arts 47
Other Visual Art 20
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 10

Notes and References

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