2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan

If you pursue a associate degree in design & applied arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #19 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 220 associate degrees in design & applied arts during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on design & applied arts students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other design & applied arts students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for design & applied arts to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized design & applied arts related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for design & applied arts students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in Michigan

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in design & applied arts.

Top Michigan Schools for an Associate in Design

1

Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor, MI

14 Annual Graduates

Washtenaw Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in design & applied arts. Located in the suburb of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Washtenaw Community College

2

Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI

13 Annual Graduates

$19,911 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at Henry Ford College. Located in the midsize city of Dearborn, Henry Ford College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the design program make about $19,911 for their early career.

More information about a associate in design & applied arts from Henry Ford College

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	196	279
Indiana	123	112
Illinois	119	136
Wisconsin	114	318

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Design & Applied Arts Related Rankings by Major

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
Graphic Design	108
Commercial & Advertising Art	75
Interior Design	17
Industrial Design	14
Illustration	5
Fashion Design	1

Most Popular Majors Related to Design

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts	82
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	62
Music	32
General Visual & Performing Arts	11
Drama & Theater Arts	5
Arts & Media Management	2

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.