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2022 Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California

49 Colleges in California
2,305 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,169 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #27 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 49 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of design and applied arts. Combined, these schools handed out 2,305 bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California Your choice of school for getting your bachelor's degree in design matters. We created our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality design and applied arts program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Associate Degrees in Design
Master's Degrees in Design
Overall Popularity in Design

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. Plus, you can view our other rankings for design and applied arts.

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.

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in design and applied arts.

10 Most Well Attended Schools for Design Students Working on Their Bachelor's

1
235 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Best Quality In CA
$33,900 Median Salary

University of California - Davis is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in design and applied arts. UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were roughly 235 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.

Soon after graduation, design bachelor's recipients generally make about $33,900 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from University of California - Davis

2
223 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Art Center College of Design if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design and applied arts. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Pasadena. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were about 223 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Art Center College of Design in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's recipients from the design and applied arts program at Art Center College of Design earn $17,731 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from Art Center College of Design

3
156 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#9 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at California College of the Arts if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in design and applied arts. Located in the city of San Francisco, California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #9 in quality for bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were roughly 156 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at California College of the Arts in the most recent data year.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from California College of the Arts earn a boost of approximately $5,931 above the average earnings of design and applied arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from California College of the Arts

4
153 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Best Quality In CA
$53,400 Median Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in design and applied arts needs to take a look at San Jose State University. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were roughly 153 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year.

Those design and applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from San Jose State University earn $21,231 more than the standard design grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from San Jose State University

5
150 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#10 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.

There were approximately 150 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.

Those design and applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University earn $5,131 more than the typical design grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from San Francisco State University

6
130 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#7 Best Quality In CA
$41,000 Median Salary

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were about 130 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from California State University - Long Beach earn a boost of around $8,831 over the typical income of design and applied arts majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from California State University - Long Beach

7
124 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#25 Best Quality In CA
$21,800 Median Salary

Chico State is a large public university located in the city of Chico.

There were roughly 124 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the design program make an average of $21,800 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from California State University - Chico

8
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
123 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#23 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.

There were about 123 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $31,100.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from Academy of Art University

9
89 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#11 Best Quality In CA
$28,000 Median Salary

Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public university with a very large student population.

There were roughly 89 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly Pomona in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $28,000.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

10
87 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#8 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Los Angeles. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for bachelor's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were roughly 87 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Otis College of Art and Design in the most recent data year.

Those design and applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Otis College of Art and Design make $4,131 more than the standard design graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in design and applied arts from Otis College of Art and Design

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 229 296
Oregon 178 275
Nevada 117 50
Hawaii 115 38

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
Visual Communications 536
Graphic Design 469
Illustration 252
Interior Design 249
Game & Interactive Media Design 239
Other Design & Applied Arts 209
Industrial Design 192
Fashion Design 128
Commercial & Advertising Art 31

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 4,072
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 2,741
Drama & Theater Arts 1,609
Music 1,553
General Visual & Performing Arts 496
Dance 322
Arts & Media Management 229
Other Visual Art 48

Notes and References

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