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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina

12 Colleges in North Carolina
1,766 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.

College Factual reviewed 12 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. Combined, these schools handed out 1,766 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina 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
Master's Degrees in Design

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Design Degrees Awarded
13.7% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat North Carolina State University if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 95 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at North Carolina State University earn $14,053 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
128 Design Degrees Awarded
$34,722 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at Appalachian State University. Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 128 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program make around $34,722 in the first couple years of their career.

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

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

Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.

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

Related Programs

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
493 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,153 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts has to check out Wake Technical Community College. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #461 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wake Technical Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 493 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Wake Technical Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn about $32,153 for their early career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Wake Technical Community College

4
Meredith crest
Meredith College
Raleigh, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Design Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in design & applied arts has to take a look at Meredith College. Located in the city of Raleigh, Meredith is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 39th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 36 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Meredith in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at Meredith College earn $3,374 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Meredith College

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45th Most Popular In NC
92.9% Growth in Graduates

UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #367 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were roughly 14 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

6

Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from East Carolina University earn a boost of around $7,009 above the typical income of design & applied arts graduates.

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

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Design Degrees Awarded
$24,827 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 24th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 41 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Guilford Technical Community College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, design degree recipients typically make around $24,827 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Guilford Technical Community College

Sponsored
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
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,715 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Tech is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 32nd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 18 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Forsyth Tech in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $29,715 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Forsyth Technical Community College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Design Degrees Awarded
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were about 49 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Greensboro get an earnings boost of approximately $5,875 above the typical earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,842 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 19 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients usually earn around $32,842 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 1,446
Florida 282 1,127
Virginia 274 889
Tennessee 269 296
South Carolina 248 316
Kentucky 244 84
Louisiana 242 84
Mississippi 234 81
Arkansas 234 228
Alabama 233 246
West Virginia 207 114

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
Commercial & Advertising Art 577
Game & Interactive Media Design 498
Interior Design 323
Graphic Design 229
Industrial Design 62
Visual Communications 37
Commercial Photography 28
Fashion Design 8
Other Design & Applied Arts 4

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 713
Music 553
Drama & Theater Arts 466
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 244
Dance 127
Arts & Media Management 110
General Visual & Performing Arts 81
Other Visual Art 13
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 12

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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