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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region

24 Colleges in the New England Region
2,097 Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 24 schools in the New England Region to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,097 degrees in design & applied arts annually.

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
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
140 Design Degrees Awarded
$24,706 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in design & applied arts has to take a look at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the 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 year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the design program make an average of $24,706 for their early career.

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

2
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 large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 77 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Northeastern University get $16,744 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts Program Name

Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Design Degrees Awarded
18.0% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Rhode Island School of Design if you want to pursue a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 89 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at RISD in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, design degree recipients usually make about $29,489 in their early careers.

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

4
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Design Degrees Awarded
$49,254 Median Starting Salary

Boston University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 42 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Boston University get $16,271 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

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 large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #356 out of 2,152 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. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts program at Wentworth Institute of Technology make $17,616 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

6
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Design Degrees Awarded
23.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #398 out of 2,152 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. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Endicott College make $6,288 more than the standard design graduate.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Design Degrees Awarded
$29,660 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize suburb of North Dartmouth, UMass Dartmouth is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 42nd out of 63 schools 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 data year. After graduating, design degree recipients usually make an average of $29,660 in the first five years of their career.

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

Sponsored
Associates Degree Type
AA in Digital Photography Program Name

Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in AA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Lesley crest
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Design Degrees Awarded
$25,227 Median Starting Salary

Lesley is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. This university ranks 30th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 70 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Lesley in the most recent data year. After graduation, design degree recipients usually earn around $25,227 at the beginning of their careers.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Design Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Boston, Suffolk is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #280 out of 2,152 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. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Suffolk University get an earnings boost of around $14,432 over the typical income of design & applied arts majors.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Design Degrees Awarded
48.6% Growth in Graduates

Quinnipiac is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Hamden. A Best Colleges rank of #162 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Quinnipiac is a great university overall.

There were approximately 37 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Quinnipiac in the most recent year we have data available. Those design & applied arts students who get their degree from Quinnipiac University receive $2,901 more than the average design graduate.

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Massachusetts 301 885
Connecticut 241 241
New Hampshire 210 456
Maine 202 24
Rhode Island 200 159
Vermont 194 99

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

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 1,092
Illustration 307
Game & Interactive Media Design 150
Interior Design 147
Commercial & Advertising Art 121
Visual Communications 103
Industrial Design 62
Other Design & Applied Arts 59
Fashion Design 52
Commercial Photography 4

View All Design Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 2,243
Fine & Studio Arts 2,098
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,444
Drama & Theater Arts 1,025
Arts & Media Management 408
General Visual & Performing Arts 352
Dance 142
Other Visual Art 69
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 9
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 4

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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