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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California

14 Ranked Colleges
216 Degrees Awarded
$68,111 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Design Major in California

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking.

Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,323 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , design & applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $32,210 and had an average of $24,297 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,768 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,229 and $26,041 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 216 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in design & applied arts. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in design & applied arts.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California” 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. 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.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California”.

Top 14 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California

1
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Otis College of Art and Design. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Otis College of Art and Design is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 9 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design

2
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. California College of the Arts is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California College of the Arts Design & Applied Arts Report

3
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #3 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 78 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

4
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Art Center College of Design. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Art Center College of Design is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 36 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Art Center College of Design Design & Applied Arts Report

5
LCAD crest
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Laguna College of Art and Design. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Laguna College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Laguna Beach, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at LCAD

6
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

New York Film Academy landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at New York Film Academy

7
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 29 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at USC

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Design & Applied Arts Report

9

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 9 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles

10

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at CSULB

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 0 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UC Berkeley

11
National University crest
National University
San Diego, California

National University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 0 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at National University

11
Design Institute of San Diego crest
Design Institute of San Diego
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #11, Design Institute of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Design Institute of San Diego is a small private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 4 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Design Institute of San Diego

11
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Stanford

Notes and References

References

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Footnotes

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