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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Texas

28 Colleges in Texas
1,889 Design Degrees Awarded
$29,365 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in design & applied arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #36 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 28 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Texas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,889 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 Texas Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for design & applied arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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 Texas. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Texas

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the design degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Texas Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Design Degrees Awarded
35.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 104 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of approximately $23,770 over the typical earnings of design & applied arts majors.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Design Degrees Awarded
14.0% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Texas Christian University if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Texas Christian University receive $17,336 more than the average design graduate.

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

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
149 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,268 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Collin County Community College District if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 22nd out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 149 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Collin County Community College District in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn about $31,268 for their early career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Collin County Community College District

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Design Degrees Awarded
$44,506 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts has to take a look at Baylor University. Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 31 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Baylor University get $15,141 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Design Degrees Awarded
18.8% Growth in Graduates

UNT is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Denton. A Best Colleges rank of #280 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNT is a great university overall.

There were approximately 144 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at University of North Texas make $9,040 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39th Most Popular In TX
30.0% Growth in Graduates

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 10 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Design Degrees Awarded
9.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 33rd out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 81 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn about $26,956 in their early career salary.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Design Degrees Awarded
30.2% Growth in Graduates

UH is a very large public university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at University of Houston earn $8,932 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

9
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Design Degrees Awarded
22.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #362 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 137 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career wages of $19,732.

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

10
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Design Degrees Awarded
2.2% Growth in Graduates

Texas State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of San Marcos. A Best Colleges rank of #397 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 136 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Texas State University make $9,695 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

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
Arizona 287 590
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
Visual Communications 451
Interior Design 379
Graphic Design 344
Commercial & Advertising Art 211
Fashion Design 163
Game & Interactive Media Design 163
Commercial Photography 89
Other Design & Applied Arts 36
Industrial Design 30
Illustration 23

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 2,118
Fine & Studio Arts 1,955
Drama & Theater Arts 982
General Visual & Performing Arts 602
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 252
Dance 251
Arts & Media Management 225

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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