by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 29 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,338 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
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.
Your choice of design & applied arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for design & applied arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for 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.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online 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.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts.
Arizona State University - Tempe is a good decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career income of $35,960.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Arizona State University - Tempe
It's difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.
Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin make $9,974 more than the typical design grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from The University of Texas at Austin
It is difficult to beat Texas Christian University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Texas Christian University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to look into Texas State University. Texas State is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Marcos.
Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Texas State University get $9,864 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Texas State University
SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Southern Methodist University
UNT is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Denton.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $33,867.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of North Texas
University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tucson.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Arizona
Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Baylor University earn a boost of about $4,801 over the typical earnings of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Baylor University
Located in the town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman.
Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus make $3,223 more than the standard design graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Oklahoma Norman CampusLearn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design
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.
BS in Game Programming & Development
Go beyond traditional software development to gain the technical expertise required to succeed in an exciting and competitive field with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Explore the best design & applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .
One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Interior Design | 412 |
| Graphic Design | 385 |
| Visual Communications | 243 |
| Fashion Design | 124 |
| Industrial Design | 64 |
| Game & Interactive Media Design | 49 |
| Commercial & Advertising Art | 35 |
| Other Design & Applied Arts | 24 |
| Commercial Photography | 1 |
| Illustration | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 2,098 |
| Music | 1,560 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,041 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 679 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 676 |
| Dance | 313 |
| Arts & Media Management | 97 |
| Other Visual Art | 5 |
