Design and Applied Arts at Harding University

With first-year earnings of $35,582 and estimated debt of $27,000 from comparable programs nationally, Harding's Design and Applied Arts degree lands squarely in the middle of the pack—both for Arkansas and the nation. That 0.76 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates would dedicate roughly nine months of their first year's salary to paying off loans, which is reasonable by most standards. The earnings hold steady too, climbing 13% to $40,020 by year four, suggesting graduates find their footing in the creative economy rather than plateauing immediately.

The comparison to other Arkansas programs reveals the full landscape. Harding's outcomes match the state median exactly, but fall noticeably behind University of Central Arkansas ($43,106) and University of Arkansas ($41,782)—those schools' graduates earn $7,500 to $8,000 more in year one. That gap matters when you're building a freelance portfolio or starting an entry-level design position. At the same time, Harding substantially outperforms smaller private competitors like John Brown and Southern Arkansas, whose graduates start in the low-to-mid $20,000s.

The caveat: Harding's debt figure comes from institutional patterns, not tracked outcomes for this specific program, so actual borrowing could differ. For a family prioritizing the Christian campus environment Harding offers, these middle-tier outcomes make the degree financially defensible—graduates earn enough to manage their debt. But if maximizing early career earnings matters most, the flagship or UCA might justify the comparison shopping.