ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Kentucky

2 Colleges in the United States
134 Design & Applied Arts Degrees Awarded
$39,777 Avg Early-Career Salary

Design & Applied Arts is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their design & applied arts programs.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 14 schools to find the best for design & applied arts students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 7
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 50.04), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts" with relevance 0.9
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.9)
DEBUG: Checking offer "AA in Digital Photography" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "AA in Digital Photography" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Digital Photography" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Digital Photography" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Game Art & Development" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Game Art & Development" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BS in Game Programming & Development" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "BS in Game Programming & Development" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 6
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 0 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No ESYOH offers, checking direct offers

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Kentucky

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the design & applied arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Design & Applied Arts

1

Our analysis ranked University Of Kentucky the best school in the country for a degree in design & applied arts. University Of Kentucky is a very large public school located in the city of Lexington. About 71% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 43 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at University Of Kentucky in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $42,168 in their early career. University Of Kentucky graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Get the full design & applied arts details for University Of Kentucky

2
Western Kentucky University crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY

Western Kentucky University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best design & applied arts schools. This large public university is located in the city of Bowling Green. Western Kentucky University graduates 58% of students within six years. About 21 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Western Kentucky University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Western Kentucky University generally make around $44,778. Students borrow a median of $24,499 to complete this degree. Read more about the design & applied arts program at Western Kentucky University

3
Northern Kentucky University crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Highland Heights, Northern Kentucky University is a large public university. Northern Kentucky University graduates 54% of students within six years. About 12 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Northern Kentucky University in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $52,565 in their early career. Northern Kentucky University graduates carry a median of $25,572 in student loans. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Northern Kentucky University

4

Kentucky Wesleyan College came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Kentucky Wesleyan College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Owensboro. Kentucky Wesleyan College graduates 46% of students within six years. There were roughly 11 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Kentucky Wesleyan College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $32,568 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,333 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Kentucky Wesleyan College

5

Hazard Community And Technical College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Hazard Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Hazard. About 17 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Hazard Community And Technical College in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $32,626 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $12,212. Get the full design & applied arts details for Hazard Community And Technical College

6

Big Sandy Community And Technical College earned the #6 position for design & applied arts this year. Located in the town of Prestonsburg, Big Sandy Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public university. About 30 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Big Sandy Community And Technical College in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Big Sandy Community And Technical College earn a median of $33,956 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $11,588. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Big Sandy Community And Technical College

ADBLOCK #173
View All Design & Applied Arts Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 14 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options