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Troy, NY · Art & design

Art & design at RPI

RPI graduates about 38 art & design majors a year, 3% of its graduating class. That puts it 18th of 828 schools we score for art & design, a standout program at 92 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $87,000 four years out, 1.93× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $1 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

92/100Standout#18 of 828 for art & design →
Graduates a year383% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$87,0001.93× the same major nationally
Research in the field$1Ma year, NSF
Admit rate63%whole school
SAT middle 50%1380–1500whole school

Around RPI

E. Fred Schubert at RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in Troy NY during the
2023-May--IMG 8177--EFS--SQ-04Photo: Judy246 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Russell Sage Dining Hall from a distance at night
Russell Sage Dining Hall Far Away at NightPhoto: RPI2026F1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
RPI Walk Over Bridge Far Away at Night
RPI Walk Over Bridge Far Away at NightPhoto: RPI2026F1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
A picture of the Mueller Center at RPI
RPI Mueller Center 07Photo: RPI2026F1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where art & design happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 42 · Dorm 17 · Athletics 5 · Dining 4 · Chapel 1 · Library 1.

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Nearby in the art & design ranking

  1. University of Wisconsin–Madison 93
  2. Vanderbilt University 93
  3. Boston University 93
  4. Dartmouth College 92
  5. University of California, Los Angeles 92
  6. Rhode Island School of Design 92
  7. Virginia Tech 92
  8. Brown University 91

Other strong majors at RPI

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares RPI with every school we score in art & design. It weighs what graduates earn four years out against the same major nationally (25%), research spending in the field (20%, NSF), how many undergraduate courses the department lists (20%), the student body's test scores (20%) and the size of the program (15%, capped so size alone can't win). 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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