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

8 Colleges in Tennessee
208 Bachelor's Degrees
$30,779 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #27 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 8 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 208 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 Tennessee 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.

A Great Overall School

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.

Early-Career Earnings

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.

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 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

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 Tennessee.

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.

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

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts.

Top Tennessee Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
38 Annual Graduates
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Belmont University is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Belmont University

2

It is difficult to beat The University of Tennessee - Knoxville if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Knoxville.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville earn $7,673 more than the typical design grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

3
Lipscomb crest
Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN
18 Annual Graduates

Lipscomb University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Lipscomb University

4
10 Annual Graduates
$45,039 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chattanooga.

Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts program at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga get $14,260 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

5
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Memphis

6
28 Annual Graduates
$28,196 Median Starting Salary
$19,250 Median Student Debt

ETSU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Johnson City.

Soon after graduating, design bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $28,196 in the first five years of their career.

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

7

Located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program report average early career income of $31,628.

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

8
Nossi College of Art crest
Nossi College of Art
Nashville, TN
41 Annual Graduates
$28,478 Median Starting Salary
$46,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Nashville, Nossi College of Art is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the design program make around $28,478 in the first couple years of their career.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 707
Georgia 224 1,028
North Carolina 213 529
Virginia 213 635
South Carolina 195 224
Kentucky 187 64
Alabama 184 196
Louisiana 171 50
Mississippi 169 25
Arkansas 167 216
West Virginia 147 106

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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 79
Interior Design 61
Visual Communications 34
Commercial Photography 14
Illustration 11
Fashion Design 7
Game & Interactive Media Design 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 630
Arts & Media Management 587
Fine & Studio Arts 416
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 204
Drama & Theater Arts 193
General Visual & Performing Arts 39
Dance 9

Notes and References

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