2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southwest Region
42
Colleges in the Southwest Region
3,281
Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in
design & applied arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #36 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 42 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,281 degrees in design & applied arts annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
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 More
BA in Digital Photography
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.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School
Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for design & applied arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
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
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
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 More
BA in Digital Photography
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.
Learn More
Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in the Southwest Region
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the design degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Design
Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to check out Arizona State University - Tempe. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.
There were about 199 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe earn a boost of about $4,908 above the average earnings of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Arizona State University - Tempe
Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to look into The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.
There were roughly 111 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of about $11,523 over the average income of design & applied arts majors.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from The University of Texas at Austin
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 UniversityRelated Programs
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In TX
52
Design Degrees Awarded
It's hard to beat Texas Christian University if you wish to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 52 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Texas Christian University
Texas State University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Texas State is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Marcos. This university ranks 16th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were roughly 110 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Texas State University earn $11,413 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Texas State University
Located in the large suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 15th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were approximately 208 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Collin County Community College District in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career income of $33,456.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Collin County Community College District
SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.
There were about 12 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Southern Methodist University
UNT is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Denton. This university ranks 13th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were about 138 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UNT 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 $33,867.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of North Texas
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 UniversityRelated Programs
University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.
There were roughly 8 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Arizona
Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #150 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.
There were approximately 25 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Baylor University earn $6,350 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Baylor University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In OK
64
Design Degrees Awarded
Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.
There were roughly 64 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
