Bachelor's+25% vs national median259 grads tracked
Design and Applied Arts at Pennsylvania State University (The)
Ranked 6th of 135 bachelor's programs in Design and Applied Arts by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$46,826
middle 50%: $34,107 – $60,557
Median · 5 years out
$73,157
middle 50%: $50,330 – $92,587
Median · 10 years out
$100,222
middle 50%: $62,075 – $141,929
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Design and Applied Arts (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Design and Applied Arts graduates from Penn State see strong salary growth. Median earnings start at $47k and climb to $100k by year ten.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
5.9 yrs
≈ $6,820 total interest
Same major at other universities
Georgia Institute of Technology
$77,671 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at Austin
$75,893 · 5 yrs out
University of Cincinnati
$75,335 · 5 yrs out
Quinnipiac University
$73,546 · 5 yrs out
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
$71,422 · 5 yrs out
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
$71,408 · 5 yrs out
Fashion Institute of Technology
$70,659 · 5 yrs out
Ohio State University (The)
$70,561 · 5 yrs out
University of Oklahoma
$69,498 · 5 yrs out
Miami University
$68,857 · 5 yrs out
University of Oregon
$68,723 · 5 yrs out
SUNY College at Purchase
$66,986 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Pennsylvania State University (The)
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$182,178 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$177,057 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$143,044 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$135,252 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$130,869 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$122,394 · 5 yrs out
Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's)
$116,440 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$115,495 · 5 yrs out
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's)
$115,004 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Doctorate)
$114,831 · 5 yrs out
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's)
$114,734 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$114,727 · 5 yrs out