by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 56 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of design & applied arts. Combined, these schools handed out 4,180 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Your choice of design & applied arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for design & applied arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to look into Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.
Soon after graduation, design bachelor's recipients usually make around $27,023 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Fashion Institute of Technology
It's hard to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts program at Carnegie Mellon University make $34,206 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Carnegie Mellon University
Syracuse University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Syracuse University make $14,113 more than the average design grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Syracuse University
Pratt Institute - Main is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.
Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts program at Pratt Institute - Main make $3,972 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Pratt Institute - Main
Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.
Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Drexel University make $6,086 more than the average design graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Drexel University
Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn around $24,804 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from The New School
Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Rochester Institute of Technology receive an earnings boost of around $2,641 above the average income of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Rochester Institute of Technology
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Pennsylvania
MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Baltimore.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,246.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Maryland Institute College of Art
Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Thomas Jefferson University receive $4,365 more than the standard design grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Thomas Jefferson University
Temple is a fairly large public university located in the city of Philadelphia.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Temple University receive an earnings boost of about $11,462 above the average income of design & applied arts majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Temple UniversityLearn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design
Gain a solid grounding in your online web design classes and exercise your creative muscle with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
BS in Game Programming & Development
Go beyond traditional software development to gain the technical expertise required to succeed in an exciting and competitive field with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 13 | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY |
| 14 | Marist College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
Explore the best design & applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 275 | 2,536 |
| Pennsylvania | 274 | 991 |
| Maryland | 207 | 232 |
| New Jersey | 193 | 358 |
| Delaware | 130 | 25 |
| District of Columbia | 126 | 39 |
One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fashion Design | 861 |
| Graphic Design | 815 |
| Illustration | 688 |
| Visual Communications | 604 |
| Interior Design | 376 |
| Industrial Design | 285 |
| Commercial & Advertising Art | 230 |
| Other Design & Applied Arts | 179 |
| Game & Interactive Media Design | 109 |
| Commercial Photography | 33 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 4,247 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 2,938 |
| Music | 2,564 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,475 |
| Dance | 794 |
| Arts & Media Management | 656 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 495 |
| Other Visual Art | 237 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 8 |
