2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Virginia, there were 920 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,840 and $28,070 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 75 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia

#1

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$29,228 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 12 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at VCU are $29,228.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at VCU

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

$37,410 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

GMU also took the #0 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at George Mason University

#3

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$20,116 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marymount University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Marymount University is located in Arlington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Marymount are $20,116.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Marymount University

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$8,349 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Liberty University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k)

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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