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2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region

10 Ranked Colleges
125 Degrees Awarded
$36,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Design Schools for a Master's in the New England Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across the New England region, there were 2,080 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,585 and $28,831 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 125 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,606 and $42,101 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for new england region master’s degree design students.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the New England Region

#1

Endicott College

Beverly, Massachusetts
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Endicott College landed the #1 spot on the list. Endicott College is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our new england region master’s degree design students list, Endicott has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Endicott are $12,666.

Full Endicott Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our new england region master’s degree design students list, Northeastern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern University are $25,558.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northeastern

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Massachusetts College of Art and Design also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Massachusetts College of Art and Design are $24,000, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Massachusetts College of Art and Design

#4

University of Bridgeport

Bridgeport, Connecticut
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Bridgeport. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region list. Located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified masters’s design students in 2019-2020.

UBridgeport did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Bridgeport are $21,686.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UBridgeport

#5

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain, Connecticut
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Connecticut State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region. Central Connecticut State University is located in New Britain, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

CCSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Central Connecticut State University are $26,072, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at CCSU

#6

Suffolk University

Boston, Massachusetts
#7 in overall quality

Suffolk University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

Suffolk not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Suffolk University are $40,238, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Suffolk

#7

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region ranking. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s design degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Yale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Yale are $44,500, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Yale University

#8

Rhode Island School of Design

Providence, Rhode Island

Rhode Island School of Design ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region list. Rhode Island School of Design is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at RISD, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rhode Island School of Design are $54,890, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Rhode Island School of Design Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Harvard University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region list. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s design degrees to qualified students.

Harvard also took the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Harvard University

#10

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Boston University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Master’s in the New England Region list. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 21 masters’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our new england region master’s degree design students list, Boston U has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Boston U are $57,666, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Boston University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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