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2024 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

12 Colleges in Massachusetts
734 Bachelor's Degrees
$35,630 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in Massachusetts to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 734 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Massachusetts Your choice of design & applied arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality design program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Design Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Massachusetts 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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in Massachusetts

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for design & applied arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Massachusetts Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1
58 Annual Graduates
$45,115 Median Starting Salary
$28,250 Median Student Debt

Northeastern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Northeastern University get an earnings boost of around $9,485 above the typical income of design & applied arts majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Northeastern University

2
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
33 Annual Graduates
$46,444 Median Starting Salary
$21,250 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts needs to take a look at Boston University. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Boston University receive $10,814 more than the average design graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Boston University

3
194 Annual Graduates
$28,792 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a good decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the large city of Boston.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $28,792 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design

4
62 Annual Graduates
$50,498 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Wentworth Institute of Technology if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. WIT is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Wentworth Institute of Technology earn a boost of around $14,868 above the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Wentworth Institute of Technology

5
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA
41 Annual Graduates
$44,958 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

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

Those design & applied arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Endicott College receive $9,328 more than the typical design grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Endicott College

6
33 Annual Graduates
$40,636 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Boston, Suffolk is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Suffolk University get an earnings boost of about $5,006 over the typical earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Suffolk University

7
58 Annual Graduates
$32,703 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of North Dartmouth, UMass Dartmouth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,703.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

8
Lesley crest
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA
74 Annual Graduates
$30,949 Median Starting Salary
$26,500 Median Student Debt

Lesley is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

After graduating, design bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $30,949 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Lesley University

9
33 Annual Graduates
$27,000 Median Student Debt

UMass Lowell is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Lowell.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from University of Massachusetts - Lowell

10
7 Annual Graduates

Salem State is a moderately-sized public university located in the large suburb of Salem.More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Salem State University

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 183 140
New Hampshire 157 442
Rhode Island 157 108
Maine 156 24
Vermont 155 63

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One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Design & Applied Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 245
Illustration 137
Visual Communications 77
Interior Design 72
Industrial Design 60
Fashion Design 56
Game & Interactive Media Design 56
Other Design & Applied Arts 20
Commercial & Advertising Art 10
Commercial Photography 1

Majors Similar to Design

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 959
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 701
Fine & Studio Arts 669
Drama & Theater Arts 494
Arts & Media Management 187
General Visual & Performing Arts 112
Dance 106
Other Visual Art 18
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 5

Notes and References

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