Design and Applied Arts — Salary, ROI & AI-Proof Rating at 92 Schools

What Design and Applied Arts Graduates Do

Your creative skills can lead you down several high-demand paths. As a junior graphic designer, your day might be spent in a busy agency using Adobe Creative Suite to craft logos and marketing materials. Or you could join a tech company as a web and digital interface designer, using tools like Figma to collaborate with developers on intuitive app layouts and user experiences.

After building your portfolio, you can advance to a senior role or become an art director, guiding a creative team’s vision and commanding a six-figure salary. Many also find success by going independent and starting their own design studio. While graphic design offers steady openings, the fastest growth is in web and digital interface design, where demand is strong.

New AI tools are changing how design work gets done, automating some routine tasks like creating initial concepts. This shift allows you to focus more on the critical human skills: understanding a client’s strategic goals, leading a project’s vision, and making the final artistic judgments. Successful designers are adapting, using AI as a powerful assistant to bring more complex ideas to life faster.

Registered Apprenticeship Pathways

The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes 9 registered apprenticeship occupations related to Design and Applied Arts. Apprenticeships let you earn while you learn — most have zero tuition costs and pay wages from day one.

Apprenticeship	Training Hours	Type	Salary RangeSalary	Growth
Bank-Note Designer RAPIDS 640	10000 hrs ~5.0 yrs	Time	$62K – $79,450 – $103K	3.2%
Commercial Designer RAPIDS 13	8000 hrs ~4.0 yrs	Time	$62K – $79,450 – $103K	3.2%
Fur Designer RAPIDS 224	8000 hrs ~4.0 yrs	Time	$54K – $80,690 – $108K	2.0%
Furniture Designer RAPIDS 225	8000 hrs ~4.0 yrs	Time	$62K – $79,450 – $103K	3.2%
Graphic Designer RAPIDS 10	3000 hrs ~1.5 yrs	Time	$47K – $61,300 – $79K	2.1%
Industrial Designer RAPIDS 16	8000 hrs ~4.0 yrs	Time	$62K – $79,450 – $103K	3.2%
Interior Designer RAPIDS 265	4000 hrs ~2.0 yrs	Time	$50K – $63,490 – $81K	3.2%
Photographer, Still RAPIDS 403	6000 hrs ~3.0 yrs	Time	$35K – $42,520 – $62K	1.8%
Stained Glass Artist RAPIDS 382	8000 hrs ~4.0 yrs	Time	$62K – $79,450 – $103K	3.2%

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database (RAPIDS). Wages and job growth from Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 projections.

Best Schools for Design and Applied Arts

Top 20 of 92 schools ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. Click any row for full earnings projections and AI-proof analysis.

#	School	Score	EarningsEarn	ROI
1	Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC	65 60–67	$32,153/yr	187.0x
2	Century College White Bear Lake, MN	64 61–66	$43,778/yr	69.8x
3	Austin Community College District Austin, TX	64 61–67	$40,289/yr	85.2x
4	Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ	64 60–65	$38,676/yr	77.4x
5	Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI	61 58–63	$38,657/yr	63.0x
6	Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX	61 58–63	$33,456/yr	88.7x
7	Gnomon Hollywood, CA	60 56–62	$80,221/yr	26.5x
8	Miami Ad School-Atlanta Atlanta, GA	60 56–62	$56,833/yr	36.5x
9	Miami Ad School Miami, FL	60 56–62	$56,833/yr	36.5x
10	Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL	59 56–61	$36,768/yr	59.3x
11	Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS	59 55–61	$32,030/yr	80.9x
12	College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL	58 55–60	$32,133/yr	73.4x
13	Dallas College Dallas, TX	57 54–59	$31,478/yr	65.4x
14	Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI	56 53–57	$39,095/yr	35.8x
15	Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA	56 51–58	$32,851/yr	57.5x
16	Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC	55 52–57	$29,715/yr	64.9x
17	Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN	54 51–56	$40,230/yr	25.9x
18	Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO	54 48–56	$32,100/yr	51.1x
19	Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC	54 51–56	$30,979/yr	57.2x
20	Century College White Bear Lake, MN	53 51–55	$39,850/yr	31.8x
21	Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL	53 50–55	$31,347/yr	47.6x
22	Miami Dade College Miami, FL	53 51–55	$30,466/yr	52.7x
23	Metropolitan Community College Area Omaha, NE	53 48–55	$29,902/yr	54.8x
24	Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC	53 46–55	$24,827/yr	75.2x
25	Interior Designers Institute Newport Beach, CA	52 49–54	$52,768/yr	7.2x
26	Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT	52 50–54	$34,227/yr	37.9x
27	Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI	50 47–52	$32,673/yr	35.9x
28	Montana State University Bozeman, MT	49 46–51	$36,931/yr	21.8x
29	College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL	49 47–51	$31,463/yr	35.4x
30	Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI	49 41–51	$27,795/yr	42.5x
31	The New School New York, NY	48 43–50	$44,640/yr	4.0x
32	Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA	48 46–50	$33,232/yr	28.1x
33	Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN	48 44–51	$31,830/yr	32.1x
34	Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI	48 45–50	$30,710/yr	31.1x
35	Oklahoma City Community College Oklahoma City, OK	48 46–50	$30,101/yr	36.1x
36	Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH	48 42–51	$24,490/yr	52.2x
37	Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA	47 45–49	$32,116/yr	25.9x
38	Virginia Western Community College Roanoke, VA	47 45–49	$31,440/yr	29.5x
39	Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA	47 45–49	$30,248/yr	31.9x
40	Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI	47 44–49	$29,734/yr	34.2x
41	Portland Community College Portland, OR	47 40–49	$26,285/yr	44.3x
42	Saint Louis Community College Bridgeton, MO	47 43–49	$25,929/yr	43.2x
43	Seattle Central College Seattle, WA	46 44–48	$29,775/yr	29.6x
44	Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH	46 39–48	$22,517/yr	48.0x
45	Monroe Community College Rochester, NY	45 40–48	$27,718/yr	31.9x
46	Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN	44 40–46	$32,246/yr	13.8x
47	Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology Okmulgee, OK	44 41–46	$28,438/yr	23.6x
48	Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville, PA	44 41–46	$27,896/yr	25.7x
49	Nashville State Community College Nashville, TN	44 42–46	$27,412/yr	29.5x
50	Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN	44 40–46	$26,602/yr	30.1x
51	Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA	44 38–47	$25,265/yr	39.3x
52	Front Range Community College Westminster, CO	44 42–46	$21,397/yr	44.1x
53	Rasmussen University-North Dakota Fargo, ND	43 39–45	$32,246/yr	11.7x
54	Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford, IL	43 39–45	$32,246/yr	10.9x
55	Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay, WI	43 40–45	$32,246/yr	12.5x
56	Western Technical College La Crosse, WI	43 37–46	$23,032/yr	35.9x
57	Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL	42 39–44	$32,246/yr	9.7x
58	Rasmussen University-Kansas Topeka, KS	42 38–44	$32,246/yr	9.5x
59	Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY	42 36–45	$24,907/yr	29.2x
60	Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC	41 36–43	$22,024/yr	30.5x
61	Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga, TN	41 34–43	$20,165/yr	33.2x
62	Henry Ford College Dearborn, MI	41 37–43	$19,911/yr	36.0x
63	International Business College-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	40 37–42	$30,284/yr	8.1x
64	Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA	40 35–42	$22,935/yr	25.2x
65	Macomb Community College Warren, MI	40 34–43	$17,057/yr	61.9x
66	Texas State Technical College Waco, TX	39 34–41	$23,345/yr	21.5x
67	Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA	39 36–41	$21,508/yr	25.5x
68	CUNY Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY	39 32–41	$19,146/yr	31.1x
69	Northampton County Area Community College Bethlehem, PA	39 32–41	$19,022/yr	27.8x
70	Community Care College Tulsa, OK	39 35–41	$17,889/yr	—
71	Clary Sage College Tulsa, OK	39 35–41	$17,889/yr	—
72	Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI	38 35–40	$21,388/yr	21.7x
73	Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA	37 32–39	$26,478/yr	6.8x
74	Bryant & Stratton College-Syracuse North Liverpool, NY	37 32–39	$25,506/yr	9.3x
75	Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo Buffalo, NY	37 32–39	$25,506/yr	9.4x
76	Bryant & Stratton College-Greece Rochester, NY	37 32–39	$25,506/yr	9.1x
77	Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa Wauwatosa, WI	37 32–39	$25,506/yr	8.9x
78	Nassau Community College Garden City, NY	37 30–39	$18,107/yr	26.3x
79	New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI	36 32–39	$26,282/yr	5.6x
80	Mohawk Valley Community College Utica, NY	36 33–38	$21,012/yr	16.2x
81	FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles, CA	35 31–37	$24,393/yr	5.2x
82	CUNY LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY	35 29–37	$13,554/yr	19.7x
83	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL	34 30–36	$23,719/yr	3.5x
84	Sessions College for Professional Design Tempe, AZ	34 29–36	$19,275/yr	16.0x
85	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY	34 28–37	$14,361/yr	35.1x
86	CUNY Hostos Community College Bronx, NY	34 28–37	$12,863/yr	30.8x
87	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL	33 28–35	$20,360/yr	4.3x
88	EDP University of Puerto Rico Inc-San Sebastian San Sebastian, PR	31 27–33	$12,994/yr	8.2x
89	EDP University of Puerto Rico Inc-San Juan San Juan, PR	31 27–33	$12,994/yr	8.2x
90	EDP University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Humacao, PR	31 27–33	$12,994/yr	8.2x
91	EDP University of Puerto Rico-Manati Manati, PR	31 27–33	$12,994/yr	8.2x
92	NUC University Bayamon, PR	31 28–33	$9,509/yr	10.8x

Highest Earning Design and Applied Arts Programs

Schools where Design and Applied Arts graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	Score
Gnomon	$80,221/yr	60
Miami Ad School-Atlanta	$56,833/yr	60
Miami Ad School	$56,833/yr	60
Interior Designers Institute	$52,768/yr	52
The New School	$44,640/yr	48
Century College	$43,778/yr	64
Austin Community College District	$40,289/yr	64
Minneapolis Community and Technical College	$40,230/yr	54
Century College	$39,850/yr	53
Waukesha County Technical College	$39,095/yr	56

Best ROI for Design and Applied Arts

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Design and Applied Arts.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	Score
Wake Technical Community College	187.0x	$32,153/yr	65
Collin County Community College District	88.7x	$33,456/yr	61
Austin Community College District	85.2x	$40,289/yr	64
Johnson County Community College	80.9x	$32,030/yr	59
Scottsdale Community College	77.4x	$38,676/yr	64
Guilford Technical Community College	75.2x	$24,827/yr	53
College of DuPage	73.4x	$32,133/yr	58
Century College	69.8x	$43,778/yr	64
Dallas College	65.4x	$31,478/yr	57
Forsyth Technical Community College	64.9x	$29,715/yr	55

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Considering a 4-Year Degree?

Compare the trade route with a bachelor's degree. See how Design and Applied Arts degree programs stack up on earnings, AI disruption risk, and ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Design and Applied Arts graduates make in their first year?

The median first-year salary across 92 Design and Applied Arts programs is $28,654. School selection matters — the gap between the lowest ($9,509) and highest ($80,221) earning programs is significant.

How safe is Design and Applied Arts from automation and AI?

AI resilience for Design and Applied Arts is classified as "Resilient." Approximately 58% of typical job tasks are hands-on — most the daily work involves skills that current AI technology cannot perform.

What's the top-ranked school for Design and Applied Arts?

Our data ranks Wake Technical Community College first among 92 Design and Applied Arts programs. Its score of 65/100 reflects strong outcomes across earnings ($32,153/yr), return on investment, and career durability.

Do Design and Applied Arts graduates get a good return on their tuition?

Typical graduates earn 34.3 times what they paid in tuition within a decade. This is a strong return on investment. Look at per-school ROI in the table above — averages can mask significant variation.