Design and Applied Arts at Ouachita Baptist University

Similar programs in Arkansas suggest first-year earnings around $35,600 for design and applied arts graduates, placing this field near the middle of the pack compared to the state's larger programs. That's a modest premium over the national median for design graduates ($33,563), though Arkansas's flagship and Central Arkansas both report outcomes above $41,000—showing there's meaningful variation even within a small state market.

With estimated debt around $27,000 (based on typical borrowing patterns at similar private Baptist colleges), the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76 looks manageable on paper. Comparable programs nationally carry nearly identical debt loads, so Ouachita isn't creating unusual financial burden relative to peer institutions. The challenge is whether $35,600 provides enough cushion to service that debt comfortably while building a career in creative fields that often require equipment, portfolios, and geographic flexibility.

The real uncertainty here is how Ouachita's specific program performs within Arkansas's design landscape. The school's 69% admission rate and solid academic profile suggest reasonable selectivity, but without actual graduate outcomes, you're betting on the school's reputation and network in a field where portfolio quality and connections matter enormously. If your child is considering this program, push for alumni contact information and ask hard questions about internship pipelines and post-graduation placement—those details matter more than statewide averages when the published data tells us so little about this particular cohort.