Best colleges for Design and Applied Arts in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of Southern California leads: its Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median $89,022 four years after finishing, against the field's $51,490 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California | $89,022 | +$37,532 |
| 2 | Chapman University | $78,121 | +$26,631 |
| 3 | Art Center College of Design | $76,093 | +$24,603 |
| 4 | University of Redlands | $75,374 | +$23,884 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Design programs?
$13,648 separates the top and bottom of this list — $89,022 at University of Southern California against $75,374 at University of Redlands, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Design graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $37,532 above the $51,490 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.