2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. 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 District of Columbia, there were 72 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,100 and $55,250 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 28 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,525 and $61,455 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design and applied arts programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 2 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in District of Columbia

#1

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$31,824 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$50,105 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Washington University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 24 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

GWU also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GWU are $31,824.

Full George Washington University Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

$35,524 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $30-$48k. American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 4 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The American University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at American University are $35,524, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The American University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Master’s 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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