Design and Applied Arts at North Dakota State University-Main Campus

North Dakota State's Design and Applied Arts program punches well above its weight nationally, with graduates earning $41,846 in their first year—nearly $8,300 more than the national median for design programs. That's an impressive premium for an open-admission university. However, the small sample size here (fewer than 30 graduates) means individual outcomes could vary significantly from these figures.

The debt picture looks manageable at $27,000, which is actually below the national median and substantially lower than the state average of $31,219. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65, graduates should be able to handle loan payments comfortably. The modest 6% earnings growth to $44,475 by year four suggests relatively stable, if not spectacular, career progression. Among North Dakota's four design programs, this performs solidly in the middle—trailing some options but still delivering earnings above the state median.

The limited sample means you shouldn't treat these numbers as gospel. A few high or low earners could skew the results considerably. That said, the combination of reasonable debt, above-average starting salaries, and steady earnings makes this look like a sensible choice for students committed to design careers—just understand that individual results may vary more than usual given the small graduating class size.