2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
19
Ranked Colleges
215
Degrees Awarded
$68,974
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $25,481 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,375 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,734 and $25,957 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s”.
Top 19 Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree vets studying design list, Purdue has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 46,655 students enrolled at Purdue were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,765. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s. Notre Dame is a fairly large school located in Notre Dame, Indiana that handed out 2 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Notre Dame also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1.Among the 12,809 students enrolled at Notre Dame, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,670. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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. 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 full report on veteran student life at University of Notre Dame]](/colleges/university-of-notre-dame/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 18 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 40,826 students enrolled at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus, 909 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 498 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UC]](/colleges/university-of-cincinnati-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2020-2021.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami University - Oxford landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 3 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Miami University - Oxford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Miami University - Oxford supports 18,880 students, and 405 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 259 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,877. To help with additional expenses, 6 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Miami University - Oxford]](/colleges/miami-university-oxford/student-life/veterans/)
University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. University of Wisconsin - Stout is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.
UW - Stout did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 305 of the 7,970 students enrolled at University of Wisconsin - Stout were GI Bill® students, of which 133 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,590. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 full report on veteran student life at UW - Stout]](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-stout/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #7, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
Eastern Michigan also took the #19 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 16,294 students enrolled at Eastern Michigan, 486 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 265 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,462. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eastern Michigan does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s ranking. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2020-2021.
IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis supports 29,390 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,439. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #9, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 22 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 25,714 students enrolled at OHIO Athens, 726 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 324 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,725. On top of their other funding sources, 10 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Ohio University - Athens Campus]](/colleges/ohio-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
BGSU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13.Among the 18,142 students enrolled at BGSU, 577 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 258 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,808. To help with additional expenses, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 12 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, DePaul supports 21,922 students, and 528 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 367 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul University]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)
Ball State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s ranking. Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.
Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 455 of the 21,597 students enrolled at Ball State University were GI Bill® students, of which 182 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,124. On top of their other funding sources, 29 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Ball State University]](/colleges/ball-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Kent State University at Kent ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s design degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
Kent State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 26,822 students enrolled at Kent State University at Kent, 778 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 374 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,199. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Kent State Veteran Student Life Report
Ferris State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s ranking. Located in Big Rapids, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s design students in 2020-2021.
Ferris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 377 of the 11,165 students enrolled at Ferris State University were GI Bill® students, of which 189 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,426. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Ferris State University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #15, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 6,325 students enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology, 83 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,905. In addition to receiving other benefits, 14 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #16, College for Creative Studies did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. College for Creative Studies is a private not-for-profit institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CCS, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 1,512 students enrolled at CCS, 32 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 15 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,696. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full CCS Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #17, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Northwestern University supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full Northwestern Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #18, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 3,132 students enrolled at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 55 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,359. To help with additional expenses, 16 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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.
Read More…
Cranbrook Academy of Art came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Design for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 16 masters’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnbrook Academy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 126 students enrolled at Cranbrook Academy of Art were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Cranbrook Academy of Art Veteran Student Life Report
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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