Home› Majors› Design

Academic Field / Visual & Performing Arts

Design

Students study visual design principles, typography, digital media, and the application of creative problem-solving to commercial and functional design challenges including graphic, product, and interaction design. Graduates typically pursue careers as graphic designers, product designers, UX/UI designers, brand strategists, and creative directors at design firms, ad agencies, and technology companies. Design skills are in strong demand across industries, with UX and product design offering particularly competitive salaries.

Compare Schools

Schools

290

Programs analyzed

Earnings

$33,862

Avg 1-yr grad earnings

Range $7,580–$66,274

Outlook

35/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

AI Risk

High

42% task exposure

Field Overview

What Design graduates do

Your creative talent can lead you down several distinct paths. Many graduates start as graphic designers, spending their days in software creating layouts for ads and websites, constantly refining work based on client feedback. Others jump into the high-growth field of web and digital interface design, where you’ll build wireframes and prototypes to ensure apps are easy to use, not just visually appealing. As you gain experience, you might advance to an Art Director role, where your job shifts from doing the design work to leading a creative team and setting the visual strategy for major projects.

While web and digital design is the fastest-growing path, it also faces the highest AI exposure. AI tools are fundamentally reshaping this role by handling initial mockups and routine tasks, shifting your value to user research and strategic judgment. For most other design careers, AI will act as a powerful assistant, automating tedious work but leaving the core creative vision to you. Your success will depend less on pure technical skill and more on your ability to direct these tools and provide the strategic, human-led creativity that clients value.

Closely-related majors include Visual & Performing Arts, Software Development, and Fine Arts, which share overlapping career paths and skill sets.

Career Trajectories

Where Design graduates work

Common career paths for Design graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 101,000 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role	Median Pay	Annual Openings	10-yr Growth	AI Exposure
Art directors	$111,040 $80K–$160K	12,300	+4.2%	High · 50%
Architecture teachers, postsecondary	$101,480 $78K–$129K	900	+2.0%	Moderate · 49%
Special effects artists and animators	$99,800 $73K–$136K	5,000	+1.6%	High · 52%
Web and digital interface designers	$98,090 $65K–$142K	9,100	+7.0%	High · 67%
Fashion designers	$80,690 $54K–$108K	2,300	+2.0%	Moderate · 39%
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary	$80,190 $61K–$122K	9,000	+1.7%	Moderate · 44%
Commercial and industrial designers	$79,450 $62K–$103K	2,500	+3.2%	Moderate · 47%
Postsecondary teachers, all other	$78,490 $56K–$123K	13,500	+1.8%	Low · 0%
Artists and related workers, all other	$72,760 $45K–$112K	1,200	+0.8%	Low · 0%
Set and exhibit designers	$66,280 $49K–$100K	2,500	+2.3%	Moderate · 39%
Designers, all other	$66,220 $47K–$95K	2,200	+2.0%	Low · 0%
Interior designers	$63,490 $50K–$81K	7,800	+3.2%	High · 50%
Graphic designers	$61,300 $47K–$79K	20,000	+2.1%	High · 50%
Photographers	$42,520 $35K–$62K	12,700	+1.8%	Moderate · 39%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Top Institutions

Best schools for Design

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 290.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 69

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA · Public

$63,449 1-yr earnings

15.9x ROI multiple

High AI risk

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Atlanta, GA · #2

$52,694/yr · 18.3x ROI

University of California-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA · #3

$57,615/yr · 14.6x ROI

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX · #4

$44,506/yr · 17.8x ROI

#	School	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	ROI
5	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	63	$43,144	27.8x
6	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	61	$52,526	11.8x
7	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public	61	$49,144	22.2x
8	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	61	$47,461	15.5x
9	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	59	$44,930	16.2x
10	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public	58	$49,780	12.1x
11	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	58	$45,176	12.5x
12	Bellevue College Bellevue, WA · Public	56	$45,947	25.7x
13	Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public	56	$44,396	12.6x
14	University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK · Public	56	$42,619	16.4x
15	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public	55	$47,295	8.4x
16	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public	55	$46,761	9.6x
17	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	55	$44,823	10.9x
18	Weber State University Ogden, UT · Public	55	$40,507	20.5x
19	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public	55	$37,395	23.2x
20	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	54	$46,585	10.7x
21	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	54	$42,585	10.0x
22	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	53	$49,727	2.8x
23	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public	53	$44,602	12.4x
24	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	53	$44,215	11.2x
25	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public	53	$39,847	14.9x
26	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO · Public	53	$39,450	13.9x
27	University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public	53	$38,938	20.4x
28	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA · Public	53	$34,845	22.9x
29	East Carolina University Greenville, NC · Public	52	$39,992	17.3x
30	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	51	$64,846	1.9x
31	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	51	$46,689	8.3x
32	Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit	50	$47,053	2.9x
33	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	50	$42,462	8.3x
34	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	50	$42,168	9.9x
35	Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL · Public	50	$39,221	29.4x
36	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI · Public	50	$39,077	10.0x
37	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	49	$50,599	3.1x
38	Temple University Philadelphia, PA · Public	49	$43,530	6.2x
39	Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private nonprofit	49	$33,915	21.8x
40	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit	48	$46,825	2.3x
41	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND · Public	48	$41,846	10.7x
42	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI · Public	48	$40,615	11.7x
43	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	48	$39,355	15.7x
44	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC · Public	48	$38,858	15.0x
45	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit	47	$66,274	1.6x
46	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS · Public	47	$43,992	9.1x
47	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	47	$35,960	12.1x
48	Portland State University Portland, OR · Public	47	$35,304	13.2x
49	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public	47	$34,677	16.0x
50	Chapman University Orange, CA · Private nonprofit	46	$46,519	2.1x
51	Park University Parkville, MO · Private nonprofit	46	$46,340	6.1x
52	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR · Public	46	$43,106	9.7x
53	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI · Public	46	$41,243	10.7x
54	Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX · Public	46	$39,959	12.1x
55	Bellevue University Bellevue, NE · Private nonprofit	46	$39,313	12.7x
56	Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit	46	$39,248	4.2x
57	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA · Public	46	$38,637	12.0x
58	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	46	$37,565	12.1x
59	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public	46	$37,508	11.2x
60	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · Public	46	$36,736	16.5x
61	Appalachian State University Boone, NC · Public	46	$34,722	17.2x
62	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC · Public	46	$32,842	27.5x
63	Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA · Public	45	$45,572	5.4x
64	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public	45	$41,968	9.3x
65	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	45	$41,782	9.7x
66	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA · Public	45	$40,286	10.2x
67	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	45	$34,670	9.9x
68	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA · Public	45	$31,078	16.4x
69	Suffolk University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	44	$47,415	2.4x
70	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA · Public	44	$32,240	17.7x
71	Utah State University Logan, UT · Public	43	$52,431	4.6x
72	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	43	$39,856	8.6x
73	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR · Public	43	$35,970	14.1x
74	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD · Public	43	$35,944	12.6x
75	Kean University Union, NJ · Public	43	$35,673	10.0x
76	San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public	43	$31,459	16.2x
77	California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA · Public	43	$30,378	17.9x
78	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY · Public	43	$27,023	22.7x
79	Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	42	$49,254	0.9x
80	The College of Saint Rose Albany, NY · Private nonprofit	42	$43,418	3.0x
81	Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC · Public	42	$40,119	7.2x
82	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN · Public	42	$38,807	9.2x
83	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public	42	$38,587	10.1x
84	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI · Public	42	$36,917	8.9x
85	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	42	$36,061	9.4x
86	University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public	42	$32,816	10.1x
87	Utah Valley University Orem, UT · Public	42	$31,888	19.2x
88	Interior Designers Institute Newport Beach, CA · Private for-profit	41	$51,188	3.0x
89	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public	41	$41,020	5.2x
90	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	41	$38,585	8.5x
91	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI · Public	41	$38,443	7.4x
92	University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha, WI · Public	41	$36,920	10.8x
93	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA · Public	41	$34,981	10.9x
94	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	41	$33,867	11.4x
95	Endicott College Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit	40	$39,271	3.2x
96	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	40	$37,755	8.8x
97	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	40	$36,784	7.5x
98	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public	40	$36,351	9.1x
99	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR · Public	40	$35,614	9.6x
100	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT · Public	40	$34,930	9.7x
101	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	40	$30,065	16.5x
102	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	40	$24,716	20.6x
103	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	40	$24,716	20.6x
104	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	40	$24,716	20.6x
105	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	40	$24,716	20.6x
106	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	40	$24,716	20.6x
107	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit	39	$46,181	1.6x
108	University of Dayton Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit	39	$43,609	2.2x
109	Illinois State University Normal, IL · Public	39	$39,287	5.1x
110	Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO · Public	39	$37,200	8.5x
111	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR · Public	39	$35,614	8.9x
112	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	39	$33,964	9.7x
113	University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA · Public	39	$26,823	22.9x
114	Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit	38	$40,302	2.9x
115	Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN · Public	38	$40,231	7.6x
116	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit	38	$38,976	4.6x
117	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ · Public	38	$38,975	4.1x
118	Ball State University Muncie, IN · Public	38	$36,864	7.6x
119	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	38	$35,645	8.2x
120	Keene State College Keene, NH · Public	38	$34,947	8.2x
121	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA · Private nonprofit	37	$42,510	1.8x
122	Samford University Birmingham, AL · Private nonprofit	37	$41,323	1.7x
123	University of Oregon Eugene, OR · Public	37	$28,844	9.4x
124	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY · Public	37	$27,827	14.0x
125	Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	36	$39,623	3.5x
126	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit	36	$35,878	6.6x
127	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	36	$34,377	7.8x
128	Wichita State University Wichita, KS · Public	36	$33,590	11.1x
129	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC · Public	36	$30,470	15.4x
130	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ · Public	35	$35,960	—
131	Longwood University Farmville, VA · Public	35	$35,612	4.9x
132	Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN · Public	35	$34,627	7.6x
133	East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN · Public	35	$34,177	7.6x
134	Radford University Radford, VA · Public	35	$34,096	8.6x
135	University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO · Public	35	$33,921	10.0x
136	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI · Public	35	$32,991	11.6x
137	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY · Public	35	$32,546	11.4x
138	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA · Public	35	$23,160	15.6x
139	Baylor University Waco, TX · Private nonprofit	34	$39,333	1.9x
140	Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit	34	$38,553	1.3x
141	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	34	$38,154	1.8x
142	California State University-Chico Chico, CA · Public	34	$27,573	13.5x
143	University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	33	$37,966	1.6x
144	Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI · Private nonprofit	33	$37,856	1.1x
145	Judson University Elgin, IL · Private nonprofit	33	$37,466	2.0x
146	Newschool of Architecture and Design San Diego, CA · Private for-profit	33	$37,132	2.1x
147	CUNY Queens College Queens, NY · Public	33	$19,349	14.0x
148	Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit	32	$36,040	1.8x
149	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI · Public	32	$34,045	6.9x
150	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO · Public	32	$33,695	9.4x
151	Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN · Private for-profit	32	$32,482	6.5x
152	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV · Public	32	$31,702	7.7x
153	Champlain College Burlington, VT · Private nonprofit	31	$38,264	1.8x
154	Cedarville University Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit	31	$35,768	2.7x
155	Harding University Searcy, AR · Private nonprofit	31	$35,582	3.6x
156	Carthage College Kenosha, WI · Private nonprofit	31	$35,511	2.8x
157	Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL · Private for-profit	31	$32,482	4.4x
158	Rasmussen University-North Dakota Fargo, ND · Private for-profit	31	$32,482	5.4x
159	Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford, IL · Private for-profit	31	$32,482	5.0x
160	Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay, WI · Private for-profit	31	$32,482	5.8x
161	Boise State University Boise, ID · Public	31	$31,083	10.2x
162	Black Hills State University Spearfish, SD · Public	31	$31,022	7.6x
163	Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI · Public	31	$27,577	9.1x
164	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public	31	$26,421	9.6x
165	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	31	$25,839	10.2x
166	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	31	$24,716	8.7x
167	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA · Public	31	$24,604	12.8x
168	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL · Public	31	$23,504	14.8x
169	CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY · Public	31	$21,445	13.2x
170	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	30	$36,433	2.1x
171	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY · Private nonprofit	30	$36,191	0.5x
172	Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT · Private nonprofit	30	$35,884	0.7x
173	Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, CA · Private for-profit	30	$34,589	1.9x
174	Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	30	$34,384	2.4x
175	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL · Private nonprofit	30	$34,236	3.6x
176	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public	30	$34,020	6.5x
177	Marymount University Arlington, VA · Private nonprofit	30	$33,180	2.9x
178	Rasmussen University-Kansas Topeka, KS · Private for-profit	30	$32,482	4.3x
179	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	30	$32,397	3.7x
180	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public	30	$29,660	7.1x
181	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ · Public	30	$26,027	7.9x
182	Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA · Public	30	$24,706	7.7x
183	SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY · Public	30	$19,451	11.5x
184	LIM College New York, NY · Private for-profit	29	$31,885	3.4x
185	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI · Public	29	$30,687	6.8x
186	Bob Jones University Greenville, SC · Private nonprofit	28	$36,424	2.3x
187	University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN · Private nonprofit	28	$35,439	2.3x
188	William Peace University Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit	28	$33,536	1.5x
189	Mississippi College Clinton, MS · Private nonprofit	28	$32,020	2.7x
190	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public	28	$31,337	6.6x
191	Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA · Private nonprofit	28	$31,122	3.1x
192	York College of Pennsylvania York, PA · Private nonprofit	28	$30,567	4.4x
193	Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA · Public	28	$29,191	5.6x
194	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA · Public	28	$29,146	9.1x
195	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA · Public	28	$28,206	5.8x
196	Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN · Public	28	$27,517	6.4x
197	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	28	$25,872	6.6x
198	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	28	$24,959	8.1x
199	Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR · Public	28	$20,285	10.9x
200	Meredith College Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit	27	$36,357	1.6x
201	Anderson University Anderson, SC · Private nonprofit	27	$34,040	2.6x
202	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	27	$33,615	0.3x
203	Nazareth University Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	27	$33,461	1.0x
204	Oklahoma Christian University Edmond, OK · Private nonprofit	27	$31,466	3.8x
205	University of Advancing Technology Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit	27	$30,640	2.9x
206	Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit	27	$28,336	2.6x
207	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	27	$26,629	7.1x
208	Los Angeles Film School Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit	27	$26,583	—
209	Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit	27	$20,829	4.2x
210	Russell Sage College Troy, NY · Private nonprofit	26	$35,294	1.8x
211	College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI · Private nonprofit	26	$32,665	1.9x
212	Emmanuel College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	26	$32,413	0.7x
213	Woodbury University Burbank, CA · Private nonprofit	26	$32,175	0.8x
214	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit	26	$32,070	1.8x
215	DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	26	$30,536	2.4x
216	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit	26	$30,019	4.3x
217	Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR · Public	26	$23,583	4.3x
218	Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR · Public	26	$22,016	4.6x
219	SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY · Public	26	$20,252	4.9x
220	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR · Private nonprofit	26	$7,580	10.5x
221	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	25	$34,709	1.4x
222	Taylor University Upland, IN · Private nonprofit	25	$31,921	1.0x
223	Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH · Private nonprofit	25	$31,749	1.1x
224	St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	25	$31,547	0.6x
225	Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	25	$31,172	1.9x
226	Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit	25	$29,829	3.8x
227	Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	25	$29,489	1.9x
228	Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA · Private nonprofit	25	$27,785	2.9x
229	Northwest College of Art & Design Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit	25	$27,694	2.8x
230	University of Denver Denver, CO · Private nonprofit	24	$31,104	0.3x
231	Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX · Private nonprofit	24	$29,479	1.7x
232	Grand View University Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit	24	$26,996	3.0x
233	Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC · Public	24	$26,076	6.9x
234	University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI · Public	24	$18,339	6.1x
235	University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private nonprofit	23	$31,207	2.3x
236	Albright College Reading, PA · Private nonprofit	23	$29,793	2.9x
237	Lasell University Newton, MA · Private nonprofit	23	$29,661	3.2x
238	Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA · Private nonprofit	23	$29,488	2.6x
239	Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ · Private nonprofit	23	$29,445	0.9x
240	California Baptist University Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit	23	$28,669	0.8x
241	Walla Walla University College Place, WA · Private nonprofit	23	$28,436	1.2x
242	Mercyhurst University Erie, PA · Private nonprofit	23	$28,267	2.3x
243	University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX · Private nonprofit	23	$27,986	2.7x
244	Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD · Private nonprofit	23	$27,969	2.4x
245	Berkeley College-Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ · Private for-profit	23	$27,937	1.4x
246	Lesley University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	23	$25,227	2.9x
247	John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR · Private nonprofit	23	$24,893	3.1x
248	Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH · Public	23	$24,375	7.0x
249	Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit	22	$31,611	1.8x
250	Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	22	$29,630	2.5x
251	Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	22	$28,801	2.2x
252	California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit	22	$28,673	1.7x
253	Assumption University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit	22	$28,032	0.4x
254	New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI · Private nonprofit	22	$27,383	0.9x
255	FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles, CA · Private for-profit	22	$26,479	0.9x
256	University of New Haven West Haven, CT · Private nonprofit	22	$26,425	0.4x
257	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL · Private for-profit	22	$25,479	3.2x
258	Nossi College of Art and Design Nashville, TN · Private for-profit	22	$24,497	3.9x
259	Bradley University Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit	22	$22,893	2.5x
260	University of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA · Private for-profit	22	$22,656	1.5x
261	Roosevelt University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	22	$19,028	1.3x
262	North Central College Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit	21	$28,037	2.1x
263	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ · Private nonprofit	21	$24,357	0.7x
264	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Madison, NJ · Private nonprofit	21	$24,357	0.7x
265	Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit	21	$23,358	0.2x
266	Dominican University River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit	21	$22,938	0.5x
267	Webster University Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	21	$20,257	0.6x
268	Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	20	$30,053	1.6x
269	Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, MO · Private nonprofit	20	$29,513	1.7x
270	Marywood University Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit	20	$25,727	2.1x
271	The New School New York, NY · Private nonprofit	20	$24,804	1.7x
272	Saint Edward's University Austin, TX · Private nonprofit	19	$30,589	1.1x
273	University of Hartford West Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit	19	$29,515	1.3x
274	Belmont University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit	19	$28,702	1.5x
275	Maine College of Art & Design Portland, ME · Private nonprofit	18	$29,001	1.3x
276	Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL · Private nonprofit	18	$28,137	1.0x
277	Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit	18	$27,970	1.6x
278	Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit	18	$27,246	1.4x
279	Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit	18	$23,687	1.6x
280	Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA · Private nonprofit	18	$23,400	1.7x
281	School of Visual Arts New York, NY · Private for-profit	18	$15,985	1.6x
282	Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ · Private nonprofit	17	$26,569	1.4x
283	Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Lancaster, PA · Private nonprofit	17	$25,830	1.1x
284	University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	17	$21,765	1.2x
285	Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	17	$20,974	1.7x
286	Art Academy of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit	17	$20,921	1.3x
287	Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	17	$20,587	1.3x
288	Montserrat College of Art Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit	17	$19,865	1.4x
289	American Academy of Art College Chicago, IL · Private for-profit	17	$19,537	1.3x
290	Pacific Northwest College of Art Portland, OR · Private nonprofit	16	$19,501	0.9x

Which school is best for Design? See our complete ranking of 290 programs →

Highest Earnings Top 5

Carnegie Mellon University PA	$66,274
University of Southern California CA	$64,846
University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA	$63,449
University of California-Los Angeles CA	$57,615
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA	$52,694

Best ROI Top 5

Seminole State College of Florida FL	29.4x
University of Florida FL	27.8x
Western Carolina University NC	27.5x
Bellevue College WA	25.7x
California State University-Long Beach CA	23.2x

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Design.

Fine Arts Theater & Drama Music Film & Photography Dance Visual & Performing Arts Arts & Media Management Craft & Folk Art Performing Arts Studies Business Administration Psychology Biology

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Design offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Design trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →

FAQ

Frequently asked about Design

What do Design graduates make in their first year?

The median first-year salary across 290 Design programs is $33,862. School selection matters — the gap between the lowest ($7,580) and highest ($66,274) earning programs is significant.

Will AI affect Design careers?

AI exposure for Design is rated "High." With 42% of tasks potentially affected by large language models, some career functions face meaningful automation pressure in the coming decade.

What's the top-ranked school for Design?

Our data ranks University of Washington-Seattle Campus first among 290 Design programs. Its score of 69/100 reflects strong outcomes across earnings ($63,449/yr), return on investment, and career durability.

What's the ROI on a Design degree?

Typical graduates earn 7.3 times what they paid in tuition within a decade. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly. Look at per-school ROI in the table above — averages can mask significant variation.