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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey

11 Colleges in New Jersey
568 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in New Jersey to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 568 degrees in design & applied arts annually.

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

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey 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

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 New Jersey ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 New Jersey

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 New Jersey Schools in Design

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Design Degrees Awarded
$26,027 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts needs to check out Montclair State University. Located in the large suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #290 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Montclair State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 86 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Montclair State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually earn about $26,027 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,397 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Rutgers University - New Brunswick if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were about 32 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually make about $32,397 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts Program Name

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More information about a degree in BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Design Degrees Awarded
33.7% Growth in Graduates

Kean University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Kean is a large public university located in the large suburb of Union. This university ranks 21st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 92 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Kean in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Kean University get $2,690 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In NJ

It is difficult to beat County College of Morris if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. County College of Morris is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of Randolph. This college ranks 29th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 18 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at County College of Morris in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from County College of Morris

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,975 Median Starting Salary

NJIT is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Newark. A Best Colleges rank of #176 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NJIT is a great school overall.

There were roughly 21 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at NJIT in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology receive $5,992 more than the typical design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from New Jersey Institute of Technology

6
Monmouth crest
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In NJ

Located in the suburb of West Long Branch, Monmouth is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 15th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 19 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Monmouth in the most recent data year.

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

7
Rider crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ

Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #323 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rider is a great university overall.

There were about 9 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Rider in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career earnings of $29,445.

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

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Associates Degree Type
AA in Digital Photography Program Name

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.

More information about a degree in AA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In NJ

Located in the suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #283 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Seton Hall is a great university overall.

There were approximately 15 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Seton Hall in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Design Degrees Awarded
$27,937 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Woodland Park, Berkeley College - Woodland Park is a private for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 32nd out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 49 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Berkeley College - Woodland Park in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program make an average of $27,937 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Berkeley College - Woodland Park

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In NJ

Located in the rural area of Newton, Sussex County Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 41st out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 14 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Sussex County Community College in the most recent data year.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 1,234
New York 333 4,391
Maryland 279 617
District of Columbia 188 83
Delaware 175 59

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 152
Visual Communications 127
Interior Design 92
Fashion Design 85
Commercial & Advertising Art 30
Industrial Design 30
Game & Interactive Media Design 29
Illustration 23

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 782
Music 591
Drama & Theater Arts 227
General Visual & Performing Arts 191
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 168
Dance 114
Arts & Media Management 15
Other Visual Art 6

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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