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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington

12 Colleges in Washington
651 Design Degrees Awarded
$33,169 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #36 in popularity, design & applied arts is one of the most sought-after 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 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 651 degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington The design program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts rankings. For our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Design & Applied Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Design
Bachelor's Degrees in Design
Master's Degrees in Design

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 Schools in Washington. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Washington

The schools below may not offer all types of design degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Washington Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Design Degrees Awarded
$49,494 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts has to check out University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 38 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at University of Washington - Seattle Campus get $16,325 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Design Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in design & applied arts has to take a look at Western Washington University. WWU is a large public university located in the city of Bellingham. A Best Colleges rank of #215 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.

There were about 68 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Western Washington University receive $6,649 more than the typical design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Western Washington University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,730 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Seattle Pacific University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. SPU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. This university ranks 10th out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 30 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at SPU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Seattle Pacific University get $5,561 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Seattle Pacific University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Design Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

Cornish College of the Arts is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Cornish College of the Arts is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Seattle.

There were roughly 34 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Cornish College of the Arts in the most recent data year. After graduating, design degree recipients usually make about $27,553 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Cornish College of the Arts

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Design Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were about 36 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Washington State University earn a boost of about $9,514 over the typical income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Washington State University

6
Walla Walla U crest
Walla Walla University
College Place, WA

Located in the small suburb of College Place, Walla Walla U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 19th out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 18 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Walla Walla U in the most recent data year. After graduating, design degree recipients typically earn about $25,370 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Walla Walla University

7
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Design Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 37 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $20,602.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Seattle University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In WA

Located in the distant town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #357 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means CWU is a great university overall.

There were about 19 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Central Washington University

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Design Degrees Awarded
$26,002 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 41st out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 37 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Spokane Falls Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program make around $26,002 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Spokane Falls Community College

10
BC crest
Bellevue College
Bellevue, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Design Degrees Awarded
9.5% Growth in Graduates

BC is a fairly large public college located in the midsize city of Bellevue. This college ranks 12th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 74 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at BC in the most recent data year. After graduation, design degree recipients typically earn about $34,563 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Bellevue College

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 3,770
Oregon 266 490
Nevada 192 110
Hawaii 164 19

View All Rankings >

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

Design Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Visual Communications 261
Interior Design 179
Commercial & Advertising Art 68
Industrial Design 43
Fashion Design 31
Graphic Design 29
Game & Interactive Media Design 22
Illustration 10
Commercial Photography 8

View All Design Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Design

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 402
Music 384
Drama & Theater Arts 230
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 139
Dance 53
Arts & Media Management 29
General Visual & Performing Arts 14
Other Visual Art 12

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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