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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

6 Colleges in Minnesota
184 Associate Degrees
$36,039 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a associate degree in design & applied arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #19 most popular program 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 6 schools in Minnesota to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 184 associate degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Associate Degree

Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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 include 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.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for design & applied arts students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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More Design Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in Minnesota

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in design & applied arts.

Top Minnesota Schools for an Associate in Design

1

Minneapolis Community and Technical College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Associate recipients from the design & applied arts program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College make $4,191 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Minneapolis Community and Technical College

2

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in design & applied arts has to look into Alexandria Technical & Community College. ATCC is a small public college located in the remote town of Alexandria.

After graduation, design associate recipients generally earn an average of $31,830 in their early careers.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Alexandria Technical & Community College

3
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN

Century College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in design & applied arts. Century College is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake.

Those design & applied arts students who get their associate degree from Century College earn $3,811 more than the average design student.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Century College

4
26 Annual Graduates

Dakota County Technical College is a great choice for students interested in an associate degree in design & applied arts. DCTC is a small public college located in the rural area of Rosemount.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Dakota County Technical College

5

Located in the small city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Associate students who receive their degree from the design program earn around $32,246 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Rasmussen University - Minnesota

6
14 Annual Graduates

North Hennepin Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from North Hennepin Community College

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 146 85
Missouri 117 75
Iowa 116 90
Nebraska 98 104
South Dakota 93 6
North Dakota 92 14

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Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Design Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 72
Interior Design 51
Visual Communications 27
Commercial & Advertising Art 23
Commercial Photography 11

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 44
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 35
Music 24
General Visual & Performing Arts 18
Drama & Theater Arts 12

Notes and References

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Best by Location
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