by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 60 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,181 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
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 account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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.
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 the Middle Atlantic Region list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts.
It's hard to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh.
Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts program at Carnegie Mellon University make $51,503 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Carnegie Mellon University
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts has to look into Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.
Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Fashion Institute of Technology get $6,751 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Fashion Institute of Technology
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts has to check out University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Pennsylvania
Pratt Institute - Main is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.
Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Pratt Institute - Main make $2,672 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Pratt Institute - Main
Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program report average early career earnings of $30,178.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from The New School
Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the design program make an average of $35,133 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Drexel University
Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Syracuse University make $6,862 more than the average design grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Syracuse University
MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Baltimore.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $30,590.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Maryland Institute College of Art
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of approximately $8,768 above the average earnings of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from George Washington University
Located in the large suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a very large student population.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from University of Delaware earn a boost of about $10,327 above the average income of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of DelawareLearn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - 3D Modeling & Animation
Learn the cutting-edge skills to become a player in the multimedia design world with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design
Gain a solid grounding in your online web design classes and exercise your creative muscle with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
BS in Game Programming & Development
Go beyond traditional software development to gain the technical expertise required to succeed in an exciting and competitive field with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY |
| 12 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 13 | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY |
| 14 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY |
| 15 | American University | Washington, DC |
Explore the best design & applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 275 | 2,536 |
| Pennsylvania | 274 | 991 |
| Maryland | 207 | 232 |
| New Jersey | 193 | 358 |
| Delaware | 130 | 25 |
| District of Columbia | 126 | 39 |
One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Graphic Design | 888 |
| Fashion Design | 789 |
| Visual Communications | 645 |
| Illustration | 569 |
| Interior Design | 423 |
| Industrial Design | 301 |
| Commercial & Advertising Art | 238 |
| Other Design & Applied Arts | 179 |
| Game & Interactive Media Design | 109 |
| Commercial Photography | 40 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 4,260 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 2,941 |
| Music | 2,498 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,439 |
| Arts & Media Management | 705 |
| Dance | 686 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 556 |
| Other Visual Art | 206 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 16 |
