Design Colleges in USA: Courses, Eligibility, Fees, Scholarships and Scope

Design colleges in USA offer some specialized programs such as fashion designing, web designing, interior designing, industrial designing and graphic designing. All these programs are structured to make the user interface impactful and that it communicates the desired message. 

• Among various disciplines of designing, interior design is the most in-demand specialization to study in USA. Occupations in this specialization are also projected to have the highest growth rate of 4% till 2028.
• The average annual salary for arts and design occupations is 49,660 USD in May 2020 which was higher than the average annual salary of 41,950 USD of other occupations. 
• The average salary of the interior designers and graphic designers is also the highest in this field ie. between 36,629 to 51,137 USD and 45,000 to 55,000 USD respectively. 
• According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in arts and design occupations is projected to decline by 4% between 2019-2029. Though jobs in USA for animation and visual effects will be on the rise.

Best Design Colleges in USA

Approximately 37,428 design and applied arts degrees offered by the design colleges in the USA. Over 216 colleges and universities in the USA are specialized in providing design and applied for arts programs. Some of the top-ranking and best colleges in USA for designing are provided below: 

Design Colleges in USA: Specialisations and Degrees Offered

The designers of the USA get plenty of opportunities to start their career as a fashion designer, web designer, interior designer, graphic designer, or as an industrial designer. A designer as a fresher can earn approximately 35,000 USD per annum whereas an experienced designer can earn 95,135 USD per year. 

In the following section, the course curriculum of design, offered by the top-ranked universities of the USA is going to be discussed:

The scholars can acquire the following degrees in their respective coursework:

• Undergraduate program: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc), Bachelor of Arts (B.A). Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A)
• Postgraduate program: Master of Science (M.Sc), Master of Arts (M.A), Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A)
• Doctoral Program: Ph.D. in design

Design Colleges in USA: Undergraduate Programs 

The USA colleges are renowned for offering 143 fashion designing, 70 industrial designing and 441 graphic designing programs for bachelor coursework (as per bachelors portal). Some of the bachelors of design colleges in the USA are: 

Design Colleges in USA: Eligibility for Bachelors 

In order to get into the bachelor coursework in US colleges, the students must meet the below-mentioned minimum cut off score. Though the required cut off score varies from college to college, the average score is similar for all the institutions.

• Completed 10th and 12th standard
• SAT or ACT score; minimum ACT score required is 33-35
• Proof of English proficiency. The minimum score requirement is: 
  • TOEFL iBT: 70
  • IELTS: 6.0

Design Colleges in USA: Required Documents for Bachelors 

Do not forget to attach the below mentioned important documents along with the score to the university authority:

• Official transcripts of your prior academic scores
• Bank statement
• Statement of purpose to study MBA in USA

Fees and Funding for Undergraduate Design Coursework in USA

The average fee for studying a bachelor in design from the USA is between 24,000 to 54,000 USD per year. The course fee seems high for bachelor students unless they apply for a scholarship program. In addition, the cost of living in USA is higher compared to another study abroad destination. Hence, the fellows might find it difficult to bear the survival cost if they do not get concessions through the scholarship program. 

Design Colleges in USA: Postgraduate Programs 

The coursework is categorized into 358 master's program in design in USA, Approximately 3050 (approximately) postgraduate programs for graphic and fashion designing programs and 60 industrial design programs are offered in design colleges in USA at the postgraduate level. This includes 358 Master of Design programs.

The following table lists the popular universities offering Master of Design in the USA: 

Design Colleges in USA: Eligibility for Masters

Similar to the undergraduate students, the applicants should have the following eligibility criteria in order to apply for US universities: 

• You should have at least a 3.0 GPA score in bachelor course work.
• Bachelor certificate, which is the evidence of completing your undergraduate program
• Proof of English proficiency. The minimum score required is: 
  • Minimum 6.5 band score in IELTS 
  • The Average cut off score of the TOEFL exam is 78-100. 
• Average GRE score: Reading 160, writing 4.5

Design Colleges in USA: Documents Required for Masters

Irrespective of academic qualification, the students should also submit some essential documents in order to take admission to the masters in the design program. 

• One identification certificate
• 2 LORs to study in US
• 4 passport size photographs of the applicants
• Your valid passport
• Recommendation letter (not mandatory)
• Submit the transcripts of your previous studies
• SOP for USA 
• Current CV.

Design Colleges in USA: Fees and Funding for Masters

The average fee for studying a master in design from the USA universities is 30,000 USD to 50,000 USD approximately. It is better for the students to apply for a scholarship program to reduce the excessive burden of earning the cost of study and the cost of living being a student. 

Design Colleges in USA: Certificate Courses

Since bachelors in designing in the USA is a four years long coursework, sometimes the international students prefer to opt for duration certified diploma coursework. Some of the popular diploma coursework in the USA are:

• Drury University offers a diploma program in graphic design and design arts major in the USA. 
• The New School: 2 years certificate program on infographics and data visualization. 

Despite the full-time postgraduate coursework, the colleges and the universities of the USA offer some certificate or diploma programs both for the domestic and international students. Some of the popular certificates or diploma programs are:

• International Career Institute (ICI): Diploma in IT (web design). It is a ½ year program. 
• ICI: Executive diploma in graphic design and desktop publishing. It is 8 months of coursework.
• Boston University: M.A in elective graphic design. It is a 6 weeks program. 

Design Colleges in USA: Doctoral Programs

Ph.D. coursework from design colleges in USA universities is streamlined into 3 to 4 years. There are 10 different design programs available in this country. However, Ph.D. in fashion designing, interior designing, and graphic designing are not offered by any of the USA universities. 

Some of the popular Ph.D. programs are discussed in the following table:

Design Colleges in USA: Eligibility for Ph.D. 

Read the following requirements before you plan to take admission in Ph.D. coursework. 

• Since the available seats for Ph.D. courses are less compared to the bachelor and master coursework, therefore, it is advisable to get distinction scores at the postgraduate level. 
• Proof of English proficiency:
  • 7 band score in IELTS.
  • 90-100 in TOEFL

Design Colleges in USA: Required Documents for Ph.D. 

Apart from the aforementioned academic qualification and cut off score, the applicants should provide some required documents. 

• Transcripts of the previous academic mark sheets
• Educational reference letter
• Current CV
• Letter of intent
• Receipt of application fees.

Design Colleges in USA: Fees and Funding for Ph.D. 

The average cost of pursuing Ph.D. coursework in design from the USA universities vary from 25,000 to 40,000 USD per annum (on average). The students get the flexibility to opt for part-time Ph.D. coursework. It usually takes more time and more course fees to complete the entire program. Nevertheless, some scholarship programs are also available for the Ph.D. pursuing students, which are helpful to minimize the cost burden of completing the study. 

Design Colleges in the USA: Scholarships

The course fees for international students are much higher than domestic students. Unless the global students apply for their scholarship program, it will be troublesome for their survival in the US. In addition, the cost of living in the country is also very high. 

The scholarship programs are available not only for the meritorious students but also everybody can avail this as per their need. Scholarship criteria also differ based on its type. 

The following are some of the popular scholarships for international students in USA: 

Design Courses in USA: Career Scope 

As per the above discussion, it is clearly evident that the growth rate of the designers across the USA has grown sharply. 

• Graphic designers in the US can experience a 3% growth rate in their careers by the year 2028. 
• Approximately 266300 people are engaged in graphic designing in the USA. In addition, by the next 10 years, 16,700 more graphic designers will be recruited. 
• The most three demanding states in the USA for graphic designers are California, New York, and Florida. 
• As per BLS, demand for industrial designers in the US will be increased by 4% by the year 2028.
• Approximately 400 more fashion designers will be recruited by the employers of the US within 2028. 

Likewise the graphic designers, the fashion designers can also experience a good hike in their pay scale with the booming of the industry in the USA. Being a fresher, a fashion designer can earn 36,420 USD, while an experienced fashion designer can get 72,720 USD (as per the report of BLS). Likewise, the experienced web designer salary in the US is also very lucrative.

Some of the job designations and their respective pay scales of the designers in the USA are described in the following table: 

Once the students complete their coursework from the USA, they can get huge opportunities to start their career as a consultant. After five years of experience, they can show their excellence as a manager in respective fields. Hence, design programs from the USA colleges and universities offer you wide options to broaden your career path. So that you can get a handsome return from your jobs.