Design and Applied Arts at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

University of Oklahoma's Design and Applied Arts program outperforms most competitors while keeping debt manageable. Graduates earn $37,755 in their first year—about $4,200 above the national median for this field and solidly in the 70th percentile nationally. Within Oklahoma, though, this just hits the state median, with University of Central Oklahoma graduates pulling in notably more at $42,619. The $27,000 median debt sits right at both national and state averages, but paired with these earnings, it creates a 0.72 debt-to-earnings ratio that graduates can reasonably handle.

For design and applied arts, a notoriously underpaid field nationally, these numbers represent real success. OU graduates start earning more than three-quarters of their peers nationwide, which matters when many arts programs leave students struggling to cover loan payments on minimal income. The relatively low debt burden—in the 25th percentile nationally—means OU isn't over-leveraging students for these outcomes.

The practical reality: your child would graduate with debt they can manage on a design salary, and they'd be earning more than most arts graduates nationally right out of the gate. If staying in Oklahoma, they should know UCO offers higher starting pay, but OU's combination of reasonable debt and above-average earnings makes it a solid in-state option for students committed to design careers.