2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Design & Applied Arts is the 34th most popular major in the country with 36,854 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 2,352 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,931 and $22,419 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 52 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UMN Twin Cities Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$25,948 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$35,416 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 24 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Iowa State University Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

#4 in overall quality

$15,112 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wichita State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wichita State University is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 10 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, WSU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full WSU Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 2 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

KU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #0. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at KU

#5

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$41,794 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$55,512 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minneapolis College of Art and Design. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Minneapolis College of Art and Design is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MCAD, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MCAD are $41,794.

Full MCAD Design & Applied Arts Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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