Design and Applied Arts at Huntington University

A $22,000 debt load for a design degree is notably lighter than what similar programs typically carry—the national median sits at nearly $27,000. Based on comparable Design and Applied Arts programs in Indiana, first-year earnings around $35,400 align closely with both state and national benchmarks, suggesting this field pays consistently wherever you study it. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62 means graduates would need to allocate about 62% of their first year's salary to clear their loans, which is manageable compared to many creative fields.

What's worth noting is how compressed the earnings are across Indiana schools in this field. Similar programs at Purdue and Ball State produce graduates earning in the low-to-mid $40,000s—not dramatically different from what peer programs at smaller private colleges like Huntington suggest. The real differentiator appears to be debt levels rather than earning potential. If Huntington's actual outcomes track close to these estimates, keeping borrowing at or below this $22,000 mark becomes critical to making the investment worthwhile.

For parents evaluating this path, the key question is whether your student plans to stay in Indiana or the Midwest, where these earnings appear standard for entry-level design work. The relatively modest debt burden provides some breathing room, but there's limited evidence that graduating from a more selective program dramatically boosts early-career earnings in this field. Keep borrowing in check, and this becomes a reasonable foundation for building a design career.