Best Industrial Design Schools Near Norton Shores, MI (2026)

Norton Shores, Michigan has 3 accredited schools offering industrial design programs, with tuition ranging from $43,743 to $53,528 per year for indexed programs. Norton Shores has a population of about 25,000. Median household income is $73,390 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 33.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $154,140 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Industrial Design Schools to Norton Shores

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Norton Shores, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Norton Shores city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Norton Shores. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI 53.0 miles from Norton Shores
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,735
Avg net price $8,624/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 126

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI 68.9 miles from Norton Shores
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,562
Avg net price $15,273/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 188

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Jackson College

Jackson, MI 116.5 miles from Norton Shores
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,898
Avg net price $7,761/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI 141.6 miles from Norton Shores
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
93.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,648
Avg net price $13,138/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 206

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Cranbrook Academy of Art

Bloomfield Hills, MI 157.4 miles from Norton Shores
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Lawrence Technological University

Southfield, MI 159.4 miles from Norton Shores
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,151
Avg net price $32,918/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Michigan schools on the Michigan industrial design page.


Industrial Design Wages Near Norton Shores

Norton Shores is part of the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI metro area (BLS area code 34740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Michigan statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers $102,160 MI statewide $110,443
Industrial Engineers $86,680 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI $93,708
Graphic Designers $48,500 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI $52,432
Mechanical Drafters $55,290 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI $59,773
Interior Designers $59,340 MI statewide $64,151
Architectural and Engineering Managers $154,140 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI $166,638
Set and Exhibit Designers $50,910 MI statewide $55,038
Mechanical Engineers $93,860 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI $101,470

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Norton Shores at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 25,000 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $73,390 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 33.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Norton Shores-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited industrial design schools are near Norton Shores, MI?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Norton Shores. The closest is Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI (53.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (84.0 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Norton Shores?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Norton Shores are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($154,140), Commercial and Industrial Designers ($102,160), Mechanical Engineers ($93,860). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Michigan statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Muskegon instead of Norton Shores?

Muskegon, MI is 4.6 miles from Norton Shores and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Norton Shores an affordable place to study industrial design?

Norton Shores’s median household income of $73,390 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Norton Shores while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Michigan public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Industrial Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Norton Shores

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Norton Shores:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.