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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Massachusetts

27 Colleges in Massachusetts
5,565 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,860 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in visual & performing arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #10 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 27 schools in Massachusetts to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of visual & performing arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,565 degrees in visual & performing arts annually.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Massachusetts 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. For our Best Overall Visual & Performing Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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 the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Massachusetts 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 Visual & Performing 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 visual & performing arts degree levels they offer.

10 Top Massachusetts Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
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 hard 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 roughly 364 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at Boston University make $3,506 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

2
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 country 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 schools nationwide means Emerson is a great college overall.

There were approximately 507 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Emerson in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career earnings of $25,382.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
332 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,930 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Massachusetts College of Art and Design if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the large city of Boston.

There were roughly 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. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn around $24,930 in their early career salary.

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

4
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
161 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
13.7% Growth in Graduates

Tufts University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large 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 colleges 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. Soon after graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make around $27,160 in their early careers.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
172 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
12.8% Growth in Graduates

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 172 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Northeastern University get an earnings boost of about $9,710 over the average earnings of visual & performing arts majors.

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

6
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 town of Williamstown. A Best Colleges rank of #90 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Williams is a great college overall.

There were about 59 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Williams in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Williams College get $6,700 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,191 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 1191 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Berklee College of Music in the most recent data year. After graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make about $20,246 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
218 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,499 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Boston, The New England Conservatory of Music is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 218 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at The New England Conservatory of Music in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $24,499 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The New England Conservatory of Music

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Visual & Performing Arts 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 approximately 65 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at WIT in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Wentworth Institute of Technology get an earnings boost of approximately $22,739 above the average income of visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Wentworth Institute of Technology

10
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
18.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 22nd out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 77 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Endicott in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Endicott College earn $11,411 more than the standard visual & performing arts student.

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

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the New England Region

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

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

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Music 1,601
Fine & Studio Arts 995
Design & Applied Arts 923
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 Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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