Design and Applied Arts at Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA · Bachelor's Degree · about 57 graduates a year

$31,078
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$69,715
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$51,490
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#18 of 299
Rank by pay
#45 of 299
Rank, wage-adjusted
$19,833
Median federal debt

Western Washington University graduates in design and applied arts earn 35% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 28% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Western Washington 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
…
15University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH$71,605$76,413#11$52,526
16Syracuse University Syracuse, NY$71,527$68,079#30$46,181
17The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX$69,846$71,013#22$44,506
18Western Washington University Bellingham, WA$69,715$64,123#45$31,078
19University of Denver Denver, CO$69,251$64,763#42$31,104
20Washington State University Pullman, WA$69,224$63,671#50$44,823
21The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN$69,047$75,426#12$36,061

Other Majors at Western Washington University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$110,138$68,219#80 of 459
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$107,131$77,516#44 of 258
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$96,695$80,808#174 of 966
Polymer/Plastics Engineering$92,439$60,375#2 of 6
Manufacturing Engineering$85,314$65,863#13 of 15
Accounting and Related Services$82,246$60,048#227 of 796
Management Information Systems and Services$81,678$61,668#83 of 166
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$77,048$42,025#21 of 110
Finance and Financial Management Services$75,730$51,984#247 of 452
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management—$72,675—
Business Administration, Management and Operations$71,886$53,402#318 of 1176
Sustainability Studies$70,793$41,600#3 of 17
Marketing$69,323$43,375#200 of 516
Applied Mathematics$68,359—#40 of 45
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$67,208$36,802#32 of 138
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$65,380$26,557#38 of 225
Special Education and Teaching$64,780$52,912#9 of 177
Economics$64,123$45,401#328 of 368
International Business$63,923$38,412#93 of 115
Physics$63,833—#101 of 107
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$63,072$42,795#22 of 345
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$62,500$53,133#14 of 680
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$61,802$19,512#66 of 215
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$58,622$39,225#28 of 35
Journalism$57,697$34,119#74 of 187
Communication and Media Studies$56,415$34,857#260 of 660
Chemistry$55,793$48,527#184 of 209
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies$54,290$34,119#22 of 63
Sociology$54,263$33,039#184 of 462
Mathematics$54,234$22,953#288 of 309

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Western Washington University design and applied arts graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $31,078 one year after graduating and $69,715 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Western Washington University rank for design and applied arts?

Among 299 colleges reporting earnings for design and applied arts graduates, Western Washington University ranks #18 by median pay four years after graduation, and #45 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is design and applied arts at Western Washington University worth it?

Its graduates earn 35% more than the national median for design and applied arts ($51,490), and the median federal debt at graduation is $19,833.

← All data for Western Washington 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.