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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

10 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
624 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,715 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.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 624 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region The design bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. 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 make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

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

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete 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.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

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

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

10 Top Rocky Mountains Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1
95 Annual Graduates
$39,924 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

Brigham Young University - Provo is a great choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Provo.

Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts program at Brigham Young University - Provo get $6,209 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Brigham Young University - Provo

2
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
28 Annual Graduates
$52,747 Median Starting Salary
$16,344 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at University of Utah. U of U is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Utah receive $19,032 more than the standard design student.

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

3
126 Annual Graduates
$34,649 Median Starting Salary
$14,057 Median Student Debt

Utah Valley University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Orem, UVU is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program report average early career wages of $34,649.

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

4
26 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Denver if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Denver

5
101 Annual Graduates
$26,706 Median Starting Salary
$28,599 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Boise, Boise State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the design program make about $26,706 in the first couple years of their career.

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

6
117 Annual Graduates
$27,370 Median Starting Salary
$46,544 Median Student Debt

RMCAD is a small private for-profit college located in the midsize city of Lakewood.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,370.

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

7
37 Annual Graduates
$38,846 Median Starting Salary
$21,851 Median Student Debt

WSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ogden.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Weber State University make $5,131 more than the standard design grad.

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

8
56 Annual Graduates
$36,119 Median Starting Salary
$29,125 Median Student Debt

MSU Denver is a large public university located in the city of Denver.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Metropolitan State University of Denver receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,404 above the average earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Metropolitan State University of Denver

9
18 Annual Graduates

Southern Utah University is a large public university located in the town of Cedar City.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Southern Utah University

10
Colorado Mesa crest
Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, CO
9 Annual Graduates
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Grand Junction, Colorado Mesa is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Colorado Mesa University

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design & applied arts schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Utah 204 307
Colorado 190 208
Idaho 171 108
Montana 134 1

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

Design Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Visual Communications 200
Game & Interactive Media Design 107
Graphic Design 96
Industrial Design 71
Illustration 65
Interior Design 53
Commercial & Advertising Art 25
Commercial Photography 5
Fashion Design 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,027
Music 680
Drama & Theater Arts 495
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 437
Dance 160
General Visual & Performing Arts 80
Other Visual Art 16
Arts & Media Management 6

Notes and References

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