Design and Applied Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, VA · Bachelor's Degree · about 322 graduates a year

$25,872
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$53,575
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$51,490
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#139 of 299
Rank by pay
#193 of 299
Rank, wage-adjusted
$24,250
Median federal debt

Virginia Commonwealth University graduates in design and applied arts earn 4% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 45% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Virginia Commonwealth University Compares for Design and Applied Arts

All 299 colleges reporting design and applied arts earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA$138,588$140,945#1$66,274
2Lawrence Technological University Southfield, MI$99,444$104,852#2—
3Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA$95,697$99,066#3$52,694
4University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA$89,193$82,038#6$63,449
5University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$89,022$81,004#7$64,846
6Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY$87,358$83,147#5$36,191
7Northeastern University Boston, MA$87,336$76,908#10$49,727
8University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN$83,414$89,488#4$46,825
9Chapman University Orange, CA$78,121$71,085#21$46,519
10Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA$76,093$69,240#26$47,053
…
136Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY$53,896$51,298#160$27,827
137California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA$53,871$49,019#190$32,240
138Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA$53,796$54,711#131$45,572
139Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA$53,575$48,785#193$25,872
140Appalachian State University Boone, NC$53,543$57,459#106$34,722
141Ball State University Muncie, IN$53,514$57,411#107$36,864
142Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA$53,396$55,276#125$39,355

Other Design and Applied Arts Credentials at Virginia Commonwealth University

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$46,439$65,638—

Other Majors at Virginia Commonwealth University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$118,521$84,338#50 of 459
Computer Engineering$118,273$82,964#41 of 189
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$107,487$77,938#41 of 258
Chemical Engineering$97,781$79,721#70 of 158
Mechanical Engineering$88,410$73,355#228 of 318
Information Science/Studies$87,219$62,116#67 of 148
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$86,661$71,847#484 of 966
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$86,295$54,133#98 of 118
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions$80,344$67,072#28 of 93
Accounting and Related Services$78,631$56,876#281 of 796
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$78,231$72,808#13 of 76
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$77,786$66,750#81 of 253
Physics$77,737$39,804#57 of 107
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services$72,239$45,696#4 of 15
Marketing$68,622$41,767#214 of 516
Mathematics$68,457$43,784#170 of 309
Business/Commerce$68,387$51,669#88 of 271
Chemistry$67,439$38,571#97 of 209
Philosophy$64,402$26,192#21 of 86
Business/Managerial Economics$64,164$45,370#74 of 84
Political Science and Government$62,182$34,080#278 of 565
Biological and Physical Sciences$61,395$36,709#21 of 33
Security Science and Technology$61,026$37,501#19 of 45
Real Estate$60,718$47,681#22 of 25
Communication and Media Studies$59,968$35,808#169 of 660
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$59,442$34,677#47 of 345
Criminal Justice and Corrections$58,792$38,495#176 of 660
Biology$58,420$31,149#398 of 841
Urban Studies/Affairs$58,084$33,626#19 of 30
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies$55,855$49,111#92 of 207

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Virginia Commonwealth University design and applied arts graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $25,872 one year after graduating and $53,575 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Virginia Commonwealth University rank for design and applied arts?

Among 299 colleges reporting earnings for design and applied arts graduates, Virginia Commonwealth University ranks #139 by median pay four years after graduation, and #193 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is design and applied arts at Virginia Commonwealth University worth it?

Its graduates earn 4% more than the national median for design and applied arts ($51,490), and the median federal debt at graduation is $24,250.

← All data for Virginia Commonwealth University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.