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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Arizona

8 Colleges in Arizona
765 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,921 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in Arizona to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 765 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 Arizona 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

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 Arizona. 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 Arizona

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.

Top Arizona Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Design Degrees Awarded
$40,045 Median Starting Salary

Arizona State University - Tempe is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 192 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Arizona State University - Tempe earn $8,124 more than the typical design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Design Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Northern Arizona University if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. NAU is a very large public university located in the city of Flagstaff. A Best Colleges rank of #278 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.

There were about 99 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn around $32,826 for their early career.

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

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Design Degrees Awarded
44.4% Growth in Graduates

Scottsdale Community College is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Scottsdale Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Scottsdale. This college ranks 20th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were roughly 54 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Scottsdale Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically make around $30,128 at the beginning of their careers.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$41,985 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts has to look into Arizona State University - Skysong. ASU - Skysong is a very large public university located in the city of Scottsdale. This university ranks 8th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were approximately 27 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Skysong in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Arizona State University - Skysong get $10,064 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Arizona State University - Skysong

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In AZ
5.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, University of Advancing Technology is a private for-profit university with a fairly small student population.

There were approximately 19 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Advancing Technology in the most recent data year.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In AZ
69 Design Degrees Awarded

Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the large city of Phoenix. A Best Colleges rank of #272 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 69 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent year we have data available.

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

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$20,124 Median Starting Salary

Pima County Community College District is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Tucson. This college ranks 14th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 14 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Pima County Community College District in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually earn an average of $20,124 in the first five years of their career.

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

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Design Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Sessions College is a small private for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.

There were approximately 78 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Sessions College 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 income of $29,349.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Sessions College for Professional Design

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Southwest Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 1,449
Oklahoma 257 211
New Mexico 219 30

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 232
Interior Design 158
Visual Communications 101
Fashion Design 78
Game & Interactive Media Design 51
Other Design & Applied Arts 43
Industrial Design 36
Commercial Photography 31
Illustration 24
Commercial & Advertising Art 11

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 5,292
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 487
Music 330
Drama & Theater Arts 200
General Visual & Performing Arts 141
Dance 95
Arts & Media Management 53
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 1

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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