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

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 5 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

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

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$25,948 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$35,416 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k list, Iowa State has also earned the #2 rank 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 some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State

#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 $48-$75k list. Wichita State University is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 10 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

WSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WSU are $15,112, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at WSU

#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kansas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k list, KU has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Minneapolis College of Art and Design landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

MCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MCAD are $41,794.

Full Minneapolis College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report

• 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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