| Ranking | School | City | Ranking by Region | National Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kansas | Lawrence | #9 in Midwest | #47 |
| 2 | Kansas State University | Manhattan | #25 in Midwest | Unranked |
Our 2026 ranking of the top graphic design school programs in Kansas. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
The Department of Design at the University of Kansas (KU) houses a Design BFA with a concentration in Visual Communication Design. Program highlights include access to studio spaces and state-of-the-art letterpress, Risograph (Riso), and digital fabrication labs; the option to specialize through the Book Arts certificate or minors in Photography or Design Entrepreneurship; professional internships at places such as Hallmark, Abbott Laboratories, Kansas City Magazine, and Garmin; and short-term, semester-long, and year-long study abroad in places such as Switzerland, Paris, and New Zealand. KU Design graduates have gone on to secure roles at places such as NASA, Intel, Ford, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and GM.
The Department of Art at Kansas State University (K-State) provides several paths to study graphic design. Options include the Visual Communication Design (VCD) BFA, the Art MFA with a VCD emphasis, and a VCD minor. The VCD BFA and minor explore areas such as package design, digital media, typography, and publication layout. The MFA program focuses on advanced research across these areas, as well as communication frameworks and visual systems. Students in both programs benefit from internship opportunities; small class sizes with assigned studio spaces; and participation in the AIGA student group, which hosts studio tours, workshops, trips to national conferences, networking events, and visiting artists. Graduates have landed positions at places such as Kansas City Magazine, VML, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Garmin, Oracle Health, BVK, Textron Aviation, and Dimensional Innovations (DI).
