Design and Applied Arts at Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern's design program significantly outperforms both state and national peers, placing graduates in the 80th percentile among Georgia design programs with first-year earnings of $39,355—roughly 50% higher than the state median of $26,331. While the program doesn't match Georgia Tech's engineering-heavy design outcomes ($52,694), it substantially exceeds more established art schools like SCAD ($23,400), suggesting a curriculum that balances creative training with marketable skills. The 24% earnings growth to $48,787 by year four indicates graduates are building sustainable careers rather than hitting early plateaus.

The debt picture is reasonable at $26,000, translating to a 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio that's manageable for an arts field where starting salaries are typically modest. Given Georgia Southern's 90% admission rate and that 35% of students receive Pell grants, the program appears to deliver strong social mobility—helping students from diverse economic backgrounds access better-than-average outcomes in a competitive creative field.

For parents worried about the "starving artist" stereotype, this program offers tangible reassurance. Your child would graduate with less debt than typical design students and earn substantially more than most Georgia design graduates right out of the gate. The combination of accessible admission, reasonable costs, and above-average earnings makes this a solid middle-class pathway into creative industries.