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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Minnesota

9 Colleges in Minnesota
668 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,947 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in Minnesota to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 668 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Minnesota 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
Doctor'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 Minnesota ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Minnesota

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.

Top Minnesota Schools in Design

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Design Degrees Awarded
$40,607 Median Starting Salary

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 130 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get $7,660 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Design Degrees Awarded
$38,605 Median Starting Salary

Century College is a great decision for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Century College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of White Bear Lake. A Best Colleges rank of #460 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 62 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Century College receive an earnings boost of about $5,658 over the typical income of design & applied arts graduates.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Design Degrees Awarded
$23,412 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to look into Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, MCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were approximately 71 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at MCAD in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, design degree recipients usually make around $23,412 in their early careers.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,785 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at Alexandria Technical & Community College. ATCC is a small public college located in the remote town of Alexandria. This college ranks 43rd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 21 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at ATCC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career earnings of $31,785.

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

5

Bemidji State University is a small public university located in the town of Bemidji. This university ranks 35th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 23 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Bemidji State University in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Bemidji State University get an earnings boost of around $13,836 above the average earnings of design & applied arts majors.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$36,852 Median Starting Salary
$24,995 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 25th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 13 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Moorhead earn $3,905 more than the average design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Design Degrees Awarded
36.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 39th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 97 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Minneapolis Community and 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 income of $27,256.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Minneapolis Community and Technical College

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Design Degrees Awarded
$29,425 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #328 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Duluth is a great university overall.

There were about 44 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn about $29,425 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Minnesota - Duluth

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In MN

Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #590 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means St. Cloud State University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 17 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at St. Cloud State University in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 283 430
Kansas 266 228
Iowa 264 479
Nebraska 238 223
North Dakota 210 36
South Dakota 204 57

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 255
Visual Communications 106
Interior Design 103
Commercial & Advertising Art 68
Illustration 51
Commercial Photography 34
Industrial Design 23
Other Design & Applied Arts 18
Fashion Design 6
Game & Interactive Media Design 4

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 414
Music 262
Drama & Theater Arts 231
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 165
General Visual & Performing Arts 62
Dance 35
Arts & Media Management 26

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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