Design and Applied Arts at Meredith College

Meredith's Design and Applied Arts program starts graduates around $36,000 but delivers something unusual in this field: actual earnings growth. While many arts programs plateau early, Meredith graduates see their income climb 27% to reach $46,000 by year four—a trajectory that distinguishes this program from most design degrees nationwide.

The financials work in graduates' favor. At $25,000 in debt (matching the state median but below the national average), the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 is manageable, particularly given the upward earnings trend. Among North Carolina's 26 design programs, Meredith lands solidly in the middle of the pack at the 60th percentile, trailing the state's flagship universities but outperforming several competitors. More importantly, it beats the national median for design programs by about $3,000 in first-year earnings, suggesting the Raleigh location and institutional connections provide real advantages.

The catch is that even with strong growth, year-four earnings of $46,000 require realistic expectations about lifestyle and debt repayment timelines. For students committed to design careers, though, Meredith offers something valuable: a program that doesn't just launch graduates into the field but helps them build earning power over time. That's not guaranteed in arts education.