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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Wisconsin

12 Colleges in Wisconsin
764 Design Degrees Awarded
$30,681 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #36 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 12 schools in Wisconsin to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 764 degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Wisconsin Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Design & Applied Arts Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Wisconsin ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Wisconsin

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the design degree levels they offer.

10 Top Wisconsin Schools in Design

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Design Degrees Awarded
30.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to look into University of Wisconsin - Madison. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive $13,003 more than the average design grad.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Design Degrees Awarded
$39,578 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at University of Wisconsin - Stout. Located in the distant town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #455 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Stout is a great university overall.

There were roughly 135 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stout in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Stout earn $8,897 more than the average design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Wisconsin - Stout

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,866 Median Starting Salary

Madison Area Technical College is a good option for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Madison College is a large public college located in the large city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #419 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Madison College is a great college overall.

There were about 94 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Madison College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career earnings of $31,866.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Madison Area Technical College

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
106 Design Degrees Awarded
14.2% Growth in Graduates

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. MIAD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.

There were approximately 106 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at MIAD in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $29,216 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,700 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 28th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were about 29 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at MATC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn about $30,700 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Milwaukee Area Technical College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Design Degrees Awarded
24.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 23rd out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 37 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WCTC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Waukesha County Technical College make $2,242 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Waukesha County Technical College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,814 Median Starting Salary
$13,500 Median Student Debt

Western Technical College is a small public college located in the city of La Crosse. A Best Colleges rank of #451 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Western Technical College is a great college overall.

There were about 28 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Western Technical College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career wages of $25,814.

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

8

UW - Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Stevens Point. This university ranks 26th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 27 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stevens Point in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point earn $7,597 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

9
Mount Mary crest
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, WI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,624 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Mount Mary is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #287 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mount Mary is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Mount Mary in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn around $28,624 in the first couple years of working.

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

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Design Degrees Awarded
38.9% Growth in Graduates

Gateway Technical College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Kenosha. A Best Colleges rank of #444 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Gateway Technical College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 54 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Gateway Technical College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $18,006.

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

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 322 997
Ohio 314 1,443
Illinois 304 978
Indiana 294 417

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
Graphic Design 333
Interior Design 189
Game & Interactive Media Design 66
Illustration 51
Industrial Design 45
Visual Communications 38
Commercial Photography 22
Fashion Design 11
Other Design & Applied Arts 9

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 712
Music 364
Drama & Theater Arts 262
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 217
General Visual & Performing Arts 100
Dance 64
Arts & Media Management 35
Other Visual Art 8

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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