2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region
Ranked #27 in popularity,
design & applied arts is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 24 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,764 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
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.
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BA in Digital Photography
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The design bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on design & applied arts students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of design & applied arts students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for design & applied arts to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized design & applied arts related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for design & applied arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Digital Photography
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
BA in Game Art & Development
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in the New England Region
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for design & applied arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
10 Top New England Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public college with a small student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the design program make an average of $24,706 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design
It is hard to beat Northeastern University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Northeastern University receive an earnings boost of around $15,919 over the typical income of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Northeastern University
Rhode Island School of Design is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. RISD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Providence.
After graduating, design bachelor's recipients generally make around $29,489 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Rhode Island School of Design
Boston University is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Boston University receive an earnings boost of around $15,446 above the average income of design & applied arts majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Boston University
Located in the city of Boston, WIT is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Wentworth Institute of Technology earn a boost of approximately $16,791 above the typical earnings of design & applied arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Wentworth Institute of Technology
