2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,237 associate degrees in design & applied arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
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.
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BA in Digital Photography
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.
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Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Associate Degree
The design associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to design & applied arts students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of design & applied arts students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt design & applied arts students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized design & applied arts related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for design & applied arts students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
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 More
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in the Southeast Region
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for design & applied arts students seeking a an associate degree.
10 Top Southeast Region Schools for an Associate in Design
It's difficult to beat Palm Beach State College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in design & applied arts. Palm Beach State College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Lake Worth.
Associate recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Palm Beach State College get $8,909 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Palm Beach State College
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in design & applied arts needs to check out Gwinnett Technical College. GTC is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.
Those design & applied arts students who get their associate degree from Gwinnett Technical College make $4,992 more than the standard design grad.
More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Gwinnett Technical College
Wake Technical Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in design & applied arts. Wake Technical Community College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Raleigh.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Wake Technical Community College
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in design & applied arts has to check out Rasmussen University - Florida. Located in the small city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Rasmussen University - Florida earn $4,387 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Rasmussen University - Florida
MDC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Miami.
Associate recipients from the design & applied arts major at Miami Dade College make $2,607 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Miami Dade College
