Design and Applied Arts programs in North Carolina
53 schools in North Carolina teach this, at certificate or associate level. 5 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $30,305 at Wake Technical Community College.
What this work pays in North Carolina
Graphic Designers in North Carolina earn a median of $58,450 a year across 5,660 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 North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | $97,990 | 3,400 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $73,800 | 2,880 |
| Interior Designers | $61,400 | 2,610 |
| Photographers | $37,120 | 2,130 |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $74,240 | 2,030 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Technical Community College Raleigh | Associate's degree | — | $30,305 (43 grads) | 102 |
| Catawba Valley Community College Hickory | Associate's degree | — | $25,194 (12 grads) | 7 |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | Associate's degree | $11,708 | $25,194 (22 grads) | 23 |
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | Associate's degree | — | $21,052 (50 grads) | 68 |
| Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro | Associate's degree | — | $18,087 (13 grads) | 4 |
| Wake Technical Community College Raleigh | Undergraduate certificate | $10,084 | not published | 391 |
| Alamance Community College Graham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 35 |
| Alamance Community College Graham | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 112 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 111 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 29 |
| Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Halifax Community College Weldon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Halifax Community College Weldon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Isothermal Community College Spindale | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Isothermal Community College Spindale | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| James Sprunt Community College Kenansville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| James Sprunt Community College Kenansville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Lenoir Community College Kinston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 22 |
| Lenoir Community College Kinston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Mitchell Community College Statesville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Mitchell Community College Statesville | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Nash Community College Rocky Mount | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Nash Community College Rocky Mount | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Pitt Community College Winterville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Pitt Community College Winterville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Randolph Community College Asheboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 42 |
| Randolph Community College Asheboro | Associate's degree | — | not published | 18 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| South Piedmont Community College Polkton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| South Piedmont Community College Polkton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Stanly Community College Albemarle | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Stanly Community College Albemarle | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Surry Community College Dobson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Surry Community College Dobson | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Wayne Community College Goldsboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 39 |
| Wayne Community College Goldsboro | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Western Piedmont Community College Morganton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Western Piedmont Community College Morganton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
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.