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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois

7 Ranked Colleges
82 Degrees Awarded
$116,573 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Illinois, there were 1,143 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,258 and $22,982 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 82 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,827 and $47,424 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in design & applied arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their design & applied arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

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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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree design students.

Top 7 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois

1

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, School of the Art Institute of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 20 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Design & Applied Arts Report

2

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Tech

3
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UChicago

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 21 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

5
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 13 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at DePaul University

6
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern

7
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 239 masters’s design degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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