UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Design and Applied Arts worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 35 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$38,351 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$38,351Median year-4 earnings
$17,005Average institution net-price context
$13,414Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$38,351Typical earnings four years after completion
$53,543Average earnings five years after completion
$13,414Typical federal student debt
26thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
1,801Degrees awarded in 2024–25
33College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 24 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Design and Applied Arts
How much do Design and Applied Arts undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $38,351 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $13,414. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Design and Applied Arts?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $27,090 to $50,921 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Design and Applied Arts?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $38,351
- Federal debt
- $13,414
- Programs in the comparison
- 35
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $37,065
- Federal debt
- $15,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 116
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,204
- Federal debt
- $26,977
- Programs in the comparison
- 338
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $69,930
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 21
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,550
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$27,090National median$38,35175th percentile$50,921
33 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Gnomon
$104,151 four years after completionNorth Hollywood, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtNUC University
$5,750 among completer borrowersBayamon, PR · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classMassachusetts College of Art and Design
122 reported awards in 2024–25Boston, MA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$90,812Observed year-4 earnings$18,438
Gnomon$51,949 price · $104,151 earningsMiami Ad School-Atlanta$60,682 price · $90,812 earningsMiami Ad School$64,951 price · $90,812 earningsMassachusetts College of Art and Design$24,100 price · $71,901 earningsSan Diego City College$7,935 price · $63,359 earningsColumbus State Community College$8,400 price · $50,921 earningsCentury College$10,906 price · $50,687 earningsFront Range Community College$13,031 price · $49,484 earningsWake Technical Community College$8,759 price · $41,857 earningsRidgewater College$10,046 price · $41,332 earningsMilwaukee Area Technical College$9,112 price · $40,366 earningsCentral Piedmont Community College$3,345 price · $39,933 earningsCollege of DuPage$7,401 price · $38,780 earningsWestern Iowa Tech Community College$8,770 price · $38,351 earningsSessions College$15,149 price · $37,727 earningsWayne Community College$2,245 price · $36,502 earningsGuilford Technical Community College$15,002 price · $35,628 earningsLos Angeles Trade Technical College$12,323 price · $34,383 earningsTidewater Community College$11,762 price · $30,658 earningsCommunity Care College$26,489 price · $27,090 earningsClary Sage College$23,280 price · $27,090 earningsDanville Community College$6,669 price · $25,670 earningsLiceo de Arte y Tecnologia$16,296 price · $25,273 earningsFayetteville Technical Community College$3,589 price · $24,406 earningsDallas College$3,214 price · $23,376 earningsAcademia Serrant Inc$9,254 price · $20,593 earningsNUC University$8,920 price · $18,438 earningsOrange Technical College$10,525 price · $18,193 earnings
$3,214Annual college-wide average net price$51,949
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Gnomon$104,1512Miami Ad School-Atlanta$90,8123Miami Ad School$90,8124Miami Ad School-New York$90,8125Massachusetts College of Art and Design$71,9016San Diego City College$63,3597Columbus State Community College$50,9218Century College$50,6879Front Range Community College$49,48410Wake Technical Community College$41,857Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$78,620 median wage93,560 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 8,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$47,570–$163,350 typical wage rangeGraphic Designers$62,960 median wage197,830 jobs nationwide-1.7% projected growth through 2035 · 16,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$39,520–$104,910 typical wage rangeCommercial and Industrial Designers$83,910 median wage33,490 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 2,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,460–$139,770 typical wage rangeArtists and Related Workers, All Other$71,240 median wage6,930 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$36,580–$136,660 typical wage rangeDesigners, All Other$64,950 median wage9,480 jobs nationwide+1.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$43,030–$129,110 typical wage rangeWeb and Digital Interface Designers$104,000 median wage113,330 jobs nationwide+6.0% projected growth through 2035 · 8,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,750–$201,550 typical wage rangeSpecial Effects Artists and Animators$102,030 median wage19,970 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$58,600–$177,110 typical wage rangeSet and Exhibit Designers$75,240 median wage10,630 jobs nationwide+1.4% projected growth through 2035 · 2,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$41,750–$135,410 typical wage rangeArt Directors$114,850 median wage53,070 jobs nationwide+4.2% projected growth through 2035 · 12,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$64,900–$213,050 typical wage rangeArchitecture Teachers, Postsecondary$96,870 median wage7,700 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$58,430–$159,030 typical wage rangeFashion Designers$80,960 median wage21,450 jobs nationwide+0.1% projected growth through 2035 · 2,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$39,490–$146,870 typical wage rangePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.