2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Iowa, there were 524 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,460 and $23,539 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 66 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,684 and $18,179 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

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 an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#1

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$8,543 Average Net Price

$28,236 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. DMACC is a large public school situated in Ankeny, Iowa. It awarded 33 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

DMACC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Des Moines Area Community College is $8,543 for Iowa Associate Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at DMACC

#2

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Sioux City, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$5,287 Average Net Price

$28,960 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a medium-sized school located in Sioux City, Iowa that handed out 7 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Western Iowa Tech Community College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College is $5,287 for iowa associate degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Western Iowa Tech Community College

#3

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$8,831 Average Net Price

$28,019 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Kirkwood Community College is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa associate degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, Kirkwood Community College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kirkwood Community College is $8,831 for Iowa Associate Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Kirkwood Community College

#4

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$8,734 Average Net Price

$19,358 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Central Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Iowa Central Community College is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

Iowa Central Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $8,734 for iowa associate degree design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa Central Community College.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa Central Community College

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k)

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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