2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois (With Aid)

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 Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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 Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 53 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 15 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree design students with aid list, UIC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UIC

#2

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$30,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$110,432 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Tech are $30,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Tech

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Full Northwestern University Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at DePaul University

#5

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$43,912 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at School of the Art Institute of Chicago are $43,912.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (With Aid)

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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