2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia
8Colleges in Virginia
1,011Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #36 in popularity, design & applied arts is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 8 schools in Virginia 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 1,011 degrees in design & applied arts annually.
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
The design program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts rankings. For our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
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 Virginia.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Virginia
The schools below may not offer all types of design degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
It is difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.
There were roughly 71 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Virginia Tech get an earnings boost of approximately $13,778 over the average income of design & applied arts graduates.
Virginia Commonwealth University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #189 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.
There were about 333 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year. After graduation, design degree recipients generally make around $25,872 in their early careers.
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
It is difficult to beat Liberty University if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #265 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Liberty University is a great university overall.
There were roughly 274 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically make around $30,574 at the beginning of their careers.
Marymount University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the midsize city of Arlington, Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 14th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 54 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Marymount in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career wages of $34,203.
Located in the large suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.
There were about 75 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community 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 $33,232.
Radford is a medium-sized public university located in the fringe town of Radford. This university ranks 20th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 28 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Radford 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 earnings of $34,096.
Tidewater Community College is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk. This college ranks 32nd out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 60 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Tidewater Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients generally make around $22,935 in the first five years of their career.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the small city of Roanoke, Virginia Western Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 45th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 15 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Western Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Gain a solid grounding in your online web design classes and exercise your creative muscle with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
The design program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts rankings. For our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
