Design and Applied Arts at Texas State University

Texas State's design graduates are earning substantially more than the typical art school graduate—their $44,396 starting salary lands in the 94th percentile nationally for this program. That's a remarkable premium over the national median of $33,563, though it's worth noting they're sitting at the 60th percentile within Texas, trailing heavyweights like UT Austin and University of Houston. For a school with an 89% admission rate, these outcomes punch well above what you might expect.

The debt picture looks reasonable at $24,353, translating to just 6.5 months of first-year salary—well below the threshold where art degree debt becomes problematic. Earnings continue climbing to $54,246 by year four, a healthy 22% increase that suggests graduates are building marketable skills rather than hitting an immediate ceiling. With a robust sample size giving confidence in these numbers, the risk profile here is manageable.

For an anxious parent, this is about as good as it gets in the design world: strong starting pay, controlled debt, and steady earnings growth. Your child won't be making UT Austin money, but they're getting solid professional preparation at a fraction of the competitive pressure. If they're seriously committed to a design career and planning to stay in Texas, this represents a practical path that avoids the debt traps common to many art programs.