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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region

27 Colleges in the New England Region
2,097 Design Degrees Awarded
$35,122 Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #36 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 27 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,097 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Design & Applied Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Design
Bachelor's Degrees in Design
Master's Degrees in Design

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in the New England Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the design degree levels they offer.

10 Top New England Region Schools in Design

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Design Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts has to check out Northeastern University. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #59 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were about 77 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Northeastern University earn a boost of about $9,993 above the average earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Northeastern University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Design Degrees Awarded
$46,444 Median Starting Salary

Boston University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were about 42 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at Boston University make $11,322 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Boston University

3
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CT
13.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Yale University

4
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
140 Design Degrees Awarded
$28,792 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts needs to check out Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the large city of Boston.

There were about 140 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually make about $28,792 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Design Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

WIT is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #234 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WIT is a great school overall.

There were about 65 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at WIT in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Wentworth Institute of Technology get an earnings boost of about $15,376 over the typical earnings of design & applied arts majors.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Wentworth Institute of Technology

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Design Degrees Awarded
18.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 89 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at RISD in the most recent year we have data available. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Rhode Island School of Design get an earnings boost of around $11,503 above the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Rhode Island School of Design

7
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Design Degrees Awarded
23.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #499 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Endicott is a great college overall.

There were approximately 63 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Endicott in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Endicott College earn $9,836 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Endicott College

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Design Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Boston, Suffolk is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Suffolk is a great university overall.

There were about 48 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Suffolk in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Suffolk University make $5,514 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Suffolk University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,703 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize suburb of North Dartmouth, UMass Dartmouth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 41st out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 56 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMass Dartmouth in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients typically earn about $32,703 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

10
Lesley crest
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Design Degrees Awarded
$30,949 Median Starting Salary

Lesley is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge. This university ranks 27th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 70 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Lesley in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients usually earn around $30,949 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Lesley University

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design & applied arts colleges for a specific state in the New England Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Massachusetts301885
Connecticut241241
New Hampshire210456
Maine20224
Rhode Island200159
Vermont19499

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Graphic Design1,092
Illustration307
Game & Interactive Media Design150
Interior Design147
Commercial & Advertising Art121
Visual Communications103
Industrial Design62
Other Design & Applied Arts59
Fashion Design52
Commercial Photography4

View All Design Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Music2,243
Fine & Studio Arts2,098
Film, Video & Photographic Arts1,444
Drama & Theater Arts1,025
Arts & Media Management408
General Visual & Performing Arts352
Dance142
Other Visual Art69
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry9
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art4

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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