by our College Data Analytics Team

Unbiased Factual Guarantee

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

13 Colleges in California

241 Master's Degrees

A master's degree in design and applied arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #74 out of 326 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for design and applied arts students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 241 master's degrees in design and applied arts during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

Best Master’s Degree Schools List

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

The design master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California ranking is to help you make that choice.

Being popular does not always equate to overall quality, but a school with a large number of design and applied arts students usually has them for a reason. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

Associate Degrees in Design

Bachelor's Degrees in Design

Overall Popularity in Design

We have also developed a number of other rankings to help guide you in your decision-making process. To begin with, if this is not the degree level you are most interested in, you may want to check out one of the others noted above. If you would prefer to limit your search to a specific state or region of the county, see our rankings by location. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for design and applied arts.

Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts

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

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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.

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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.

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Most Popular Schools for Master’s Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in California

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

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

Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA

102 Annual Master's Degrees

#6 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Academy of Art University is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in design and applied arts. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were approximately 102 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent year we have data available.

Soon after graduation, design master's recipients typically earn about $41,800 in their early careers.

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

California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA

44 Annual Master's Degrees

#3 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in design and applied arts needs to check out California College of the Arts. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of San Francisco. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were approximately 44 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at California College of the Arts in the most recent data year.

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

Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA

29 Annual Master's Degrees

#4 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Art Center College of Design is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a master's degree in design and applied arts. Located in the city of Pasadena, Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #4 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were about 29 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Art Center College of Design in the most recent data year.

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

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA

25 Annual Master's Degrees

#1 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of Southern California is a popular choice for students interested in a master's degree in design and applied arts. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were approximately 25 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in design and applied arts from University of Southern California

Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA

11 Annual Master's Degrees

#7 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were about 11 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Otis College of Art and Design in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, CA

9 Annual Master's Degrees

#5 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the rural area of Laguna Beach, LCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were about 9 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at LCAD in the most recent year we have data available.

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

University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

9 Annual Master's Degrees

#2 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were roughly 9 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in design and applied arts from University of California - Los Angeles

New York Film Academy
Burbank, CA

8 Annual Master's Degrees

#10 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Burbank.

There were approximately 8 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at New York Film Academy in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in design and applied arts from New York Film Academy

San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA

3 Annual Master's Degrees

#8 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

SFSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were approximately 3 design and applied arts individuals who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

National University
La Jolla, CA

1 Annual Master's Degrees

#9 Best Quality In CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #9 in quality for master's degrees in design and applied arts in California.

There were roughly 1 design and applied arts students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in design and applied arts from National University

Related Programs

Learn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.

BA in Game Art & Development

Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

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BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - 3D Modeling & Animation

Learn the cutting-edge skills to become a player in the multimedia design world with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

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BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design

Gain a solid grounding in your online web design classes and exercise your creative muscle with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

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

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

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	184	16
Oregon	151	11

Other Rankings

Best Quality
in Design & Applied Arts

Highest Paid Grads
in Design & Applied Arts

Best for Veterans
in Design & Applied Arts

Best Value
in Design & Applied Arts

Best for Non-Traditional Students
in Design & Applied Arts

Best Online
in Design & Applied Arts

Most Focused
in Design & Applied Arts

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 Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Illustration	56
Visual Communications	51
Fashion Design	46
Graphic Design	40
Game & Interactive Media Design	36
Other Design & Applied Arts	12

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	806
Music	526
Fine & Studio Arts	434
Drama & Theater Arts	363
General Visual & Performing Arts	84
Arts & Media Management	43
Dance	30
Other Visual Art	5

Notes and References

The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.

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

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