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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region

24 Colleges in the New England Region
1,764 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,808 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 24 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,764 bachelor's degrees in design & applied arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region The design bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

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

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for design & applied arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

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 the New England Region 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.

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Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Design & Applied Arts in the New England Region

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

10 Top New England Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Design

1
129 Annual Graduates
$24,706 Median Starting Salary
$38,212 Median Student Debt

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public college with a small student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the design program earn an average of $24,706 in their early career salary.

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

2

It's difficult to beat Northeastern University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Northeastern University earn a boost of approximately $15,919 above the average income of design & applied arts graduates.

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

3
91 Annual Graduates
$29,489 Median Starting Salary
$49,773 Median Student Debt

Rhode Island School of Design is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. RISD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Providence.

Soon after graduation, design bachelor's recipients typically earn about $29,489 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in design & applied arts from Rhode Island School of Design

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Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Boston University is a good decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in design & applied arts. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Boston University get an earnings boost of approximately $15,446 above the average income of design & applied arts majors.

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

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Located in the city of Boston, WIT is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Wentworth Institute of Technology earn a boost of around $16,791 above the average earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

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

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Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, MA

Endicott is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Beverly.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Endicott College receive an earnings boost of about $5,463 above the average income of design & applied arts majors.

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

7

UMass Dartmouth is a medium-sized public university located in the medium-sized suburb of North Dartmouth.

Soon after graduating, design bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $29,660 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Lesley crest
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA
63 Annual Graduates
$25,227 Median Starting Salary
$55,206 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Cambridge, Lesley is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the design program state that they receive average early career income of $25,227.

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

9

Suffolk is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.

Design & Applied Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Suffolk University receive an earnings boost of around $13,607 over the typical earnings of design & applied arts graduates.

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

10

Located in the large suburb of Hamden, Quinnipiac is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the design & applied arts major at Quinnipiac University get $2,076 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

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Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best design & applied arts colleges for a specific state in the New England Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Massachusetts 238 734
Connecticut 183 140
New Hampshire 157 442
Rhode Island 157 108
Maine 156 24
Vermont 155 63
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Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Design Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 1,045
Illustration 313
Game & Interactive Media Design 121
Interior Design 63
Industrial Design 59
Visual Communications 49
Fashion Design 46
Commercial & Advertising Art 39
Other Design & Applied Arts 29
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Majors Similar to Design

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,575
Music 1,497
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,142
Drama & Theater Arts 779
Arts & Media Management 230
General Visual & Performing Arts 226
Dance 160
Other Visual Art 31
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 15
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 6

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Notes and References

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