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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the New England Region

51 Colleges in the New England Region
9,891 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,860 Avg Early-Career Salary
Visual & Performing Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #10 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 51 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the New England Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 9,891 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the New England Region The visual & performing arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for visual & performing arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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.

Visual & Performing Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Master's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Doctor's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the New England Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts in the New England Region

The schools below may not offer all types of visual & performing arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top New England Region Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
115 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
18.3% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Brown University if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Brown is a great university overall.

There were roughly 115 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $23,180.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Brown University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
277 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
13.4% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Rhode Island School of Design if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 277 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at RISD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $24,603.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Rhode Island School of Design

3
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
364 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,366 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Boston University if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly 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 about 364 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Boston University earn a boost of around $3,506 above the typical earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Boston University

4
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
507 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

Emerson College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Emerson is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #127 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Emerson is a great college overall.

There were about 507 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Emerson in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn around $25,382 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Emerson College

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
332 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,930 Median Starting Salary

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the large city of Boston.

There were approximately 332 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn an average of $24,930 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design

6
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
161 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
13.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #39 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Tufts is a great university overall.

There were about 161 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,160.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Tufts University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
172 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
12.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the 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 colleges nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 172 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Northeastern University receive $9,710 more than the standard visual & performing arts graduate.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Northeastern University

8
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
13.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Dartmouth is a great college overall.

There were approximately 67 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Dartmouth College earn a boost of around $2,386 over the average earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Dartmouth College

9
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,560 Median Starting Salary

Williams is a small private not-for-profit college located in the fringe town of Williamstown. A Best Colleges rank of #90 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Williams is a great college overall.

There were approximately 59 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Williams in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Williams College receive an earnings boost of about $6,700 above the average earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Williams College

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,191 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Berklee College of Music is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Boston.

There were roughly 1191 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Berklee College of Music in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $20,246.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Berklee College of Music

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Visual & Performing Arts students in the New England Region that almost earned our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the New England Region award.

Rank College Location
11 The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA
12 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA
13 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
14 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
15 Connecticut College New London, CT
16 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
17 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best visual & performing arts colleges for a specific state in the New England Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 37 931
Maine 37 263
Rhode Island 37 709
Massachusetts 37 5,118
Connecticut 35 1,514
Vermont 34 550

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Music 2,243
Fine & Studio Arts 2,098
Design & Applied Arts 2,097
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

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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