Design and Applied Arts: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median $51,490 four years after finishing — $3,130/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 21.6 years. Federal data pools 556 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 18,050 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Design and Applied Arts ranks #156 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 23% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $138,588 |
| 2 | Lawrence Technological University | MI | $99,444 |
| 3 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | GA | $95,697 |
| 4 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | $89,193 |
| 5 | University of Southern California | CA | $89,022 |
| 6 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | NY | $87,358 |
| 7 | Northeastern University | MA | $87,336 |
| 8 | University of Notre Dame | IN | $83,414 |
| 9 | Chapman University | CA | $78,121 |
| 10 | Art Center College of Design | CA | $76,093 |
| 11 | University of Redlands | CA | $75,374 |
| 12 | Florida State University | FL | $73,888 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.