Best Art & Design Colleges in Maryland (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 15 Art & Design programs in Maryland by median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing. University of Maryland-College Park ranks 1st on this list, reporting $51,064 for its graduates after completing.
Across the 12 schools with a reported completion median, the figures range from $51,064 to $25,967, with a median of $39,672. For 2 of the 15 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list is split nearly evenly between public and private institutions, with 8 public and 7 private nonprofit schools. Morgan State University posts the lowest average net price at $14,985, while Johns Hopkins University reports the highest six-year completion rate at 94%.
Johns Hopkins University ranks 70th on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Art & Design Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $51,064 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| University of Maryland-College Park reports median earnings of $51,064 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (92 graduates), Music (42 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (30 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($55,713), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($41,742) | |||||
| 2 | Stevenson University · Owings Mills, MD | $50,279 | $26,505 | $15,894 | 78.9% |
| Stevenson University admits 79% of applicants and posts a six-year completion rate of 68%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (29 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (13 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($55,419) | |||||
| 3 | Salisbury University · Salisbury, MD | $44,514 | $17,743 | $6,743 | 87.5% |
| Salisbury University graduates 68% of its students within six years and reports median earnings of $44,514 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (41 graduates), Music (5 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($44,514) | |||||
| 4 | Hood College · Frederick, MD | $44,411 | $20,873 | $12,424 | 77.8% |
| Hood College ranks 4th on this list and sits at 658th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (8 graduates) | |||||
| 5 | Towson University · Towson, MD | $43,060 | $17,413 | $6,962 | 82.0% |
| Towson University graduates 69% of its students within six years and holds an admission rate of 82%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (137 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (41 graduates), Music (38 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($48,238), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($39,753), Music ($36,285) | |||||
| 6 | Frostburg State University · Frostburg, MD | $42,973 | $16,715 | $12,129 | 89.2% |
| Frostburg State University reports median earnings of $42,973 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (18 graduates), Music (11 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($45,220) | |||||
| 7 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County · Baltimore, MD | $39,677 | $16,467 | $5,087 | 72.4% |
| University of Maryland-Baltimore County shows an average net price of $5,087 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (68 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (25 graduates), Music (25 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($53,363), Music ($42,289), Fine and Studio Arts ($35,125) | |||||
| 8 | Maryland Institute College of Art · Baltimore, MD | $39,667 | $42,729 | $32,389 | 76.8% |
| Maryland Institute College of Art ranks 8th on this list and posts a six-year completion rate of 72%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (126 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (104 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (22 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($45,436), Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($43,227), Fine and Studio Arts ($34,283) | |||||
| 9 | Mount St. Mary's University · Emmitsburg, MD | $39,651 | $22,655 | $11,603 | 73.8% |
| Mount St. Mary's University admits 74% of applicants and reports median earnings of $39,651 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (10 graduates) | |||||
| 10 | Bowie State University · Bowie, MD | $33,841 | $19,298 | $17,071 | 72.4% |
| Bowie State University sits at 308th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates 38% of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (25 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (15 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | St. Mary's College of Maryland · St. Mary's City, MD | $33,801 | $18,441 | $2,889 | 68.6% |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland admits 69% of applicants and graduates 70% of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (12 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (11 graduates), Music (6 graduates) | |||||
| 12 | Goucher College · Baltimore, MD | $32,925 | $22,470 | $13,471 | 77.7% |
| Goucher College reports median earnings of $32,925 for its Art & Design graduates two years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Dance (7 graduates) | |||||
| 13 | Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD | $29,849 | $18,809 | $428 | 6.4% |
| Johns Hopkins University admits 6% of applicants and ranks 70th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Music (84 graduates), Dance (11 graduates) | |||||
| 14 | McDaniel College · Westminster, MD | $25,967 | $21,916 | $12,210 | 77.9% |
| McDaniel College reports median earnings of $25,967 for its Art & Design graduates two years after completing, alongside an average net price of $21,916. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Film/Video and Photographic Arts (9 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (9 graduates) | |||||
| 15 | Morgan State University · Baltimore, MD | $21,943 | $14,985 | $9,585 | 82.2% |
| Morgan State University, a public university in Baltimore, has an average net price of $14,985 and an admission rate of 82%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (14 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (8 graduates), Music (7 graduates) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Art & Design graduates four years after completing, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure reflects federally aided Art & Design completers who were working and not enrolled, measured after completing. For 2 of the 15 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The figures cited on this page cover the 12 schools with a reported completion median. The gap between University of Maryland-College Park and Stevenson University is $785, and the spread from top to bottom reaches $25,097.