Design and Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design

The $31,000 starting salary from Otis College's design program looks worrying at first, but the real story emerges in the trajectory: graduates nearly double their earnings within four years, reaching $50,842. That 63% growth rate suggests the degree is opening doors to progressively better opportunities in LA's design industry. The $27,000 debt load—below the national median—keeps the financial risk manageable during those lean early years.

Here's the catch: Otis graduates start in the bottom 40th percentile among California design programs, meaning six out of ten similar programs in the state deliver better initial outcomes. While the earnings growth is encouraging, you're still looking at $50,842 at year four when nearby USC design grads start at $64,846 and UCLA grads at $57,615. The gap narrows over time, but never fully closes based on this data.

For families who can afford the investment without heavy borrowing, Otis provides a viable path into design careers with reasonable debt and solid mid-term earnings growth. But if you're choosing between multiple California art schools, those first-year earnings matter—they determine whether your graduate can afford to stay in Los Angeles at all. If cost is the primary concern, start by comparing total attendance costs across programs, since that $27,000 debt figure only tells part of the financial picture.