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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Minnesota

12 Colleges in Minnesota
697 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in design & applied arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #36 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in Minnesota to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 697 degrees in design & applied arts annually.

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

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Minnesota Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for design & applied arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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
Doctor's Degrees in Design

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 Minnesota ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Minnesota

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the design degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Minnesota Schools in Design

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Design Degrees Awarded
7.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in design & applied arts. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 141 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $9,479 more than the standard design graduate.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Design Degrees Awarded
$23,687 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Located in the city of Minneapolis, MCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were approximately 59 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at MCAD in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically make around $23,687 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Minneapolis College of Art and Design

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
123 Design Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a great option for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 25th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 123 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Minneapolis Community and Technical College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Minneapolis Community and Technical College make $7,247 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,830 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at Alexandria Technical & Community College. ATCC is a small public college located in the remote town of Alexandria. This college ranks 41st out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 16 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at ATCC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, design degree recipients typically make about $31,830 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Design Degrees Awarded
15.1% Growth in Graduates

Century College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of White Bear Lake. A Best Colleges rank of #486 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.

There were about 73 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Century College earn a boost of around $9,852 above the typical earnings of design & applied arts majors.

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

6

Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 26 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Moorhead earn $5,604 more than the typical design student.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,337 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #518 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Duluth is a great university overall.

There were roughly 40 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $31,337 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Minnesota - Duluth

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
9th Most Popular In MN
32 Design Degrees Awarded

DCTC is a small public college located in the rural area of Rosemount. A Best Colleges rank of #649 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DCTC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 32 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at DCTC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Dakota County Technical College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$40,231 Median Starting Salary

Bemidji State University is a small public university located in the town of Bemidji. This university ranks 40th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 17 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Bemidji State University in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Bemidji State University receive $7,248 more than the average design graduate.

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

10

Located in the small city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #129 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a great university overall.

There were about 26 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Minnesota in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically make about $32,358 in their early careers.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 283 430
Kansas 266 228
Iowa 264 479
Nebraska 238 223
North Dakota 210 36
South Dakota 204 57

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
Graphic Design 241
Interior Design 142
Visual Communications 125
Commercial & Advertising Art 59
Illustration 39
Commercial Photography 33
Industrial Design 26
Other Design & Applied Arts 23
Game & Interactive Media Design 6
Fashion Design 3

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 468
Music 269
Drama & Theater Arts 216
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 160
General Visual & Performing Arts 87
Arts & Media Management 28
Dance 24

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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