2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in South Carolina
8Colleges in South Carolina
342Design 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.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 8 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in South Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 342 degrees in design & applied arts annually.
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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.
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 South Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 South Carolina
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.
Clemson University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Clemson is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson. A Best Colleges rank of #149 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.
There were roughly 94 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Clemson University receive $13,706 more than the standard design student.
Furman University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large suburb of Greenville, Furman is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #648 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Furman is a great university overall.
There were approximately 20 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Furman in the most recent year we have data available.
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Winthrop University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the small city of Rock Hill, Winthrop is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 13th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were roughly 19 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Winthrop in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Winthrop University earn $7,136 more than the standard design grad.
It is hard to beat Anderson University South Carolina if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Anderson University South Carolina is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Anderson. A Best Colleges rank of #936 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Anderson University South Carolina is a great university overall.
After graduating, design degree recipients generally earn about $34,040 in the first five years of their career.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Conway. This college ranks 18th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were about 21 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in the most recent data year. After graduation, design degree recipients generally make around $22,024 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the city of Conway, Coastal Carolina University is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1142 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Coastal Carolina University is a great university overall.
There were approximately 42 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Coastal Carolina University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients typically earn around $26,076 at the beginning of their careers.
Bob Jones University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Greenville. This university ranks 21st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were roughly 13 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Bob Jones University in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Bob Jones University earn a boost of around $3,441 over the average income of design & applied arts graduates.
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.
CSU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Charleston. This university ranks 26th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were approximately 12 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at CSU in the most recent year we have data available.
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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).