College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Missouri

10 Colleges in Missouri
460 Design Degrees Awarded
$29,453 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 10 schools in Missouri 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 460 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 Missouri 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 Missouri. 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 Missouri

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 Missouri Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Design Degrees Awarded
28.4% Growth in Graduates

Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 74 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis receive $12,124 more than the standard design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Washington University in St Louis

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Design Degrees Awarded
$39,469 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in design & applied arts needs to check out Maryville University of Saint Louis. Maryville U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Maryville U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 42 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Maryville U in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Maryville University of Saint Louis earn $10,016 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Maryville University of Saint Louis

3
Webster crest
Webster University
Saint Louis, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In MO
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Webster University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #219 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Webster is a great university overall.

There were about 30 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Webster in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4
Lindenwood University crest
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In MO

Lindenwood University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 15th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 7 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Lindenwood University in the most recent year we have data available.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Design Degrees Awarded
$29,273 Median Starting Salary

Missouri State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Springfield. A Best Colleges rank of #427 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually earn about $29,273 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Missouri State University - Springfield

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Design Degrees Awarded
29.4% Growth in Graduates

Kansas City Art Institute is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Kansas City.

There were roughly 51 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Kansas City Art Institute 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 $21,327.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Kansas City Art Institute

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Design Degrees Awarded
$30,171 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 37 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually make an average of $30,171 in the first five years of their career.

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

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Design Degrees Awarded
11.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Bridgeton, Saint Louis Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 33rd out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 52 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Saint Louis Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career wages of $23,294.

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

9
Stephens crest
Stephens College
Columbia, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In MO

Stephens is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Columbia. This college ranks 20th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 5 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Stephens in the most recent year we have data available.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,370 Median Starting Salary
$42,212 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Saint Louis, Siba is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were about 11 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Siba in the most recent data year. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Stevens - The Institute of Business & Arts receive $3,917 more than the typical design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Stevens - The Institute of Business & Arts

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 533
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 142
Visual Communications 102
Commercial & Advertising Art 66
Interior Design 61
Illustration 36
Game & Interactive Media Design 26
Fashion Design 17
Other Design & Applied Arts 10

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 492
Music 377
Drama & Theater Arts 318
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 157
General Visual & Performing Arts 112
Dance 37
Arts & Media Management 20

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options