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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Minnesota

6 Colleges in Minnesota
334 Bachelor's Degrees
$35,237 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #27 most popular major 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 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 334 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Minnesota Your choice of design & applied arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Design Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Minnesota list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in Minnesota

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts.

Top Minnesota Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1
108 Annual Graduates
$42,462 Median Starting Salary
$24,350 Median Student Debt

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $7,225 more than the average design student.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
58 Annual Graduates
$23,687 Median Starting Salary
$45,270 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts has to take a look at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, MCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Soon after graduation, design bachelor's recipients generally make about $23,687 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Minneapolis College of Art and Design

3

Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Minnesota State University - Moorhead earn a boost of around $3,350 over the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

4

University of Minnesota - Duluth is a great choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the small city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, design bachelor's recipients usually make around $31,337 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Minnesota - Duluth

5

Bemidji State University is a small public university located in the town of Bemidji.

Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts major at Bemidji State University make $4,994 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Bemidji State University

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6

Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, design bachelor's recipients usually make about $34,627 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Saint Cloud State University

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Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 342
Iowa 197 378
Kansas 184 137
Nebraska 180 119
North Dakota 149 22
South Dakota 148 51
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One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 142
Commercial & Advertising Art 52
Illustration 45
Interior Design 39
Industrial Design 32
Visual Communications 18
Fashion Design 4
Game & Interactive Media Design 2
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Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 330
Music 197
Drama & Theater Arts 170
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 119
Arts & Media Management 21
General Visual & Performing Arts 20
Dance 20

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Notes and References

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