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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Pennsylvania

22 Colleges in Pennsylvania
1,282 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,864 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.

College Factual reviewed 22 schools in Pennsylvania 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 1,282 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 Pennsylvania 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
Doctor's Degrees in Design

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Design Degrees Awarded
1.4% Growth in Graduates

Carnegie Mellon University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were roughly 69 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University earn a boost of around $55,534 above the typical income of design & applied arts majors.

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

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
36th Most Popular In PA

University of Pennsylvania is a good decision for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 6 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

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

3
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
205 Design Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Drexel University. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were roughly 205 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Drexel University earn a boost of approximately $11,199 over the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

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

4
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Design Degrees Awarded
9.9% Growth in Graduates

Temple University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 71 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at Temple University make $11,183 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

5
UArts crest
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Design Degrees Awarded
$21,067 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UArts is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 59 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UArts in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients usually make about $21,067 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from The University of the Arts

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Design Degrees Awarded
17.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Moore College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were approximately 46 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Moore College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, design degree recipients generally earn an average of $23,976 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Moore College of Art and Design

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Design Degrees Awarded
22.2% Growth in Graduates

Kutztown University is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Kutztown. A Best Colleges rank of #783 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Kutztown University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Kutztown University in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of around $4,055 above the typical earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Design Degrees Awarded
52.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #888 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IUP is a great university overall.

There were about 68 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at IUP in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients generally make an average of $32,645 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

9
Albright crest
Albright College
Reading, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Design Degrees Awarded
19.4% Growth in Graduates

Albright is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Reading. This college ranks 72nd out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 31 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Albright in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $29,236 in the first couple years of working.

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

10
Marywood crest
Marywood University
Scranton, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,999 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 54th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 17 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Marywood in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, design degree recipients generally earn an average of $28,999 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 4,391
Maryland 279 617
New Jersey 273 532
District of Columbia 188 83
Delaware 175 59

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
Graphic Design 400
Visual Communications 144
Commercial & Advertising Art 140
Fashion Design 128
Interior Design 118
Game & Interactive Media Design 103
Other Design & Applied Arts 94
Illustration 89
Industrial Design 57
Commercial Photography 9

View All Design Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Design

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,173
Music 987
Drama & Theater Arts 762
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 589
Dance 290
Arts & Media Management 264
General Visual & Performing Arts 204
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 16
Other Visual Art 1

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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