Money Magazine ranks MIAD among top 10 art and design colleges nationwide

MILWAUKEE … September 5, 2019 – Money Magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money in 2019” ranks the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design among the top 10 art and design colleges in the country. 

• MIAD is among the top 20% of degree-granting colleges and universities nationwide
• MIAD is the top art and design college in the country for helping low-income students attain upper-middle-class jobs. 

“As our college has grown in the past four years, we are again honored to be recognized on a national level,” said MIAD President Jeff Morin. “This ranking recognizes not only the excellence of our bachelor’s degree program, but also acknowledges our commitment to making an art and design education accessible and to supporting students to excel academically. The professional experiences MIAD provides students throughout the curriculum transform students’ lives and prepare them for successful careers.”

Money Magazine’s rankings reveal that a MIAD education contributes to the upward mobility of low-income students. MIAD has one of the lowest average prices for low-income students among independent art and design colleges, and MIAD graduates earn average salaries of $43,200 within three years of graduation. In addition, 38% of MIAD students with low-income backgrounds are employed in upper-middle-class jobs by their mid 30s. 

Among other independent art and design colleges, MIAD ranks ninth. MIAD’s overall rank by Money is 720.

Ranking methodology

To qualify for the rankings, each college must have a minimum enrollment of 500 students, graduation rates at or above the median for its institutional category and not be in financial distress. Money then ranked colleges based on 26 factors, including educational quality, affordability and outcomes.

• Educational quality considers each college’s six-year graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, financial stability and how many Pell Grant recipients graduate.
• Affordability is calculated using each college’s net price of a degree, estimated average student debt upon graduation, student loan repayment and default risk of graduates and affordability for low-income students.
• Outcomes consider graduates’ earnings, earnings adjusted by majors, employment rates, job impact and the socioeconomic mobility index, among other factors.

About MIAD

MIAD offers an accredited Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in five majors – Communication Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Design and New Studio Practice: Fine Arts – and has 18 academic minors, including Arts Management, Furniture Design and Digital Media Production. Graduates work at companies and organizations such as Kohl’s, Fiskars, GE Healthcare, Google, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee Tool, Trek and more.

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