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2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Massachusetts

13 Colleges in Massachusetts
923 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.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Massachusetts ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 923 degrees in design & applied arts annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School

Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Massachusetts The design program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts rankings. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Design & Applied Arts Degree Level

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Massachusetts list to help you make the college decision. 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 Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts Schools in Design

1
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
140 Design Degrees Awarded
$24,706 Median Starting Salary

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a great option for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the large city of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public college with a small student population.

There were approximately 140 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $24,706 in their early career salary.

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

Northeastern University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,152 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 data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts major at Northeastern University get $16,744 above the standard college 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
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 one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 colleges 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 major at Boston University get $16,271 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Design Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in design & applied arts has to check out Wentworth Institute of Technology. Located in the large city of Boston, WIT is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. 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 data year. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Wentworth Institute of Technology earn $17,616 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

5
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Design Degrees Awarded
23.8% Growth in Graduates

Endicott is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Beverly. This college ranks 22nd out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

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 earn $6,288 more than the standard design grad.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Design Degrees Awarded
$29,660 Median Starting Salary

UMass Dartmouth is a moderately-sized public university located in the midsize suburb of North Dartmouth. This university ranks 42nd out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 56 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMass Dartmouth in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients generally earn around $29,660 in the first five years of their career.

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

7
Lesley crest
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Design Degrees Awarded
$25,227 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Lesley is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 63 schools 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 data year. Soon after graduating, design degree recipients typically make around $25,227 in the first five years of their career.

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

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

Suffolk is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. 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 data year. Design & Applied Arts degree recipients from Suffolk University receive an earnings boost of around $14,432 over the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Design Degrees Awarded
$41,020 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Lowell, UMass Lowell is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #276 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMass Lowell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UMass Lowell in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at University of Massachusetts - Lowell get $8,037 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Design Degrees Awarded
45.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Montserrat College of Art is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 31 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Montserrat College of Art in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the design program make around $19,865 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Montserrat College of Art

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

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

View All Rankings >

Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Design Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 346
Illustration 146
Interior Design 109
Game & Interactive Media Design 69
Other Design & Applied Arts 59
Industrial Design 52
Commercial & Advertising Art 49
Fashion Design 46
Visual Communications 43
Commercial Photography 4

View All Design Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 1,601
Fine & Studio Arts 995
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 743
Drama & Theater Arts 586
Arts & Media Management 352
General Visual & Performing Arts 225
Dance 88
Other Visual Art 45
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 7

View All Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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