Design and Applied Arts programs in Minnesota
35 schools in Minnesota teach this, at certificate or associate level. 7 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $37,208 at Century College.
What this work pays in Minnesota
Graphic Designers in Minnesota earn a median of $63,860 a year across 5,570 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $84,280 | 2,620 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | $82,650 | 1,520 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $77,760 | 1,310 |
| Interior Designers | $73,270 | 1,220 |
| Art Directors | $109,700 | 920 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Century College White Bear Lake | Undergraduate certificate | $12,500 | $37,208 (15 grads) | 42 |
| Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria | Associate's degree | $12,000 | $31,738 (34 grads) | 16 |
| North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park | Associate's degree | — | $30,409 (12 grads) | 9 |
| Century College White Bear Lake | Associate's degree | $13,000 | $29,685 (21 grads) | 31 |
| Dakota County Technical College Rosemount | Associate's degree | — | $29,685 (29 grads) | 31 |
| Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park | Associate's degree | — | $26,353 (12 grads) | 3 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis | Associate's degree | $12,000 | $24,532 (51 grads) | 37 |
| Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud | Associate's degree | $23,820 | not published | 20 |
| Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Anoka Technical College Anoka | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Augsburg University Minneapolis | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Bemidji State University Bemidji | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Dakota County Technical College Rosemount | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Metropolitan State University Saint Paul | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 86 |
| Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Ridgewater College Willmar | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Ridgewater College Willmar | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Riverland Community College Austin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Saint Paul College Saint Paul | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| South Central College North Mankato | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| South Central College North Mankato | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Design and Applied Arts — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.