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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

52 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
6,197 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #36 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 52 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,197 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Design & Applied Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Design
Bachelor's Degrees in Design
Master's Degrees in Design

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in the Far Western US Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the design degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Design

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
274 Design Degrees Awarded
$24,724 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 274 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at FIDM Los Angeles in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career earnings of $24,724.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Design Degrees Awarded
20.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 84 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at University of Southern California earn $31,863 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Southern California

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts Program Name

Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Design Degrees Awarded
$63,449 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Washington - Seattle Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the large city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 38 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus get an earnings boost of about $30,466 above the average earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
264 Design Degrees Awarded
$47,053 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Art Center College of Design if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Pasadena.

There were roughly 264 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Art Center College of Design in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at Art Center College of Design get $14,070 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Art Center College of Design

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Design Degrees Awarded
$31,078 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 66 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,078.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Western Washington University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Design Degrees Awarded
6.6% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 244 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, design degree recipients typically make around $32,816 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of California - Davis

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Design Degrees Awarded
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 24th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 32 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Chapman University earn a boost of around $13,536 above the typical income of design & applied arts majors.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Chapman University

Sponsored
Associates Degree Type
AA in Digital Photography Program Name

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.

More information about a degree in AA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Design Degrees Awarded
$57,615 Median Starting Salary

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 47 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at University of California - Los Angeles get $24,632 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of California - Los Angeles

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
202 Design Degrees Awarded
$34,845 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 30th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 202 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically make about $34,845 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from San Francisco State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Design Degrees Awarded
2.3% Growth in Graduates

Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Los Angeles.

There were about 132 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Otis College of Art and Design in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $31,172 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Otis College of Art and Design

Honorable Mentions

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 Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
11 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
12 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA
13 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
14 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA
15 Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA
16 Portland Community College Portland, OR
17 University of Oregon Eugene, OR

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design & applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 3,770
Washington 300 532
Oregon 266 490
Nevada 192 110
Hawaii 164 19

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 1,742
Visual Communications 1,158
Interior Design 979
Fashion Design 568
Other Design & Applied Arts 397
Game & Interactive Media Design 385
Illustration 354
Industrial Design 316
Commercial & Advertising Art 252
Commercial Photography 46

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,899
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 4,925
Music 4,297
Drama & Theater Arts 3,242
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,366
Dance 607
Arts & Media Management 391
Other Visual Art 74
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 6

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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