2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, design and applied arts was ranked #36 in the country. In fact 36,301 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 29 schools in the New England Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for design majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Sacred Heart University the best school in the New England Region for design and applied arts students. Located in the large suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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Out of the 29 schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Boston University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at Boston U accumulate an average of around $25,500 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Boston University
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wentworth Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region list. WIT is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at WIT take out is $27,000.
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Out of the 29 schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.
Design majors at Northeastern take out an average of $26,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Out of the 29 schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Endicott College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, design graduates from Endicott take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Endicott College Report
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Rhode Island School of Design landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the midsize city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at RISD take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $676, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Rhode Island School of Design
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Yale University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Southern New Hampshire University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Manchester.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at SNHU take out is $32,500.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern New Hampshire University
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New England Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the New England Region ranking. New England Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of East Greenwich.
After completing their degree, design graduates from New England Tech carry an average student debtload of $21,846. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.
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With a ranking of #10, Northern Vermont University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Northern Vermont University is a small public school located in the rural area of Johnson.
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the New England region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 887 |
| Connecticut | 241 |
| New Hampshire | 456 |
| Maine | 24 |
| Rhode Island | 159 |
| Vermont | 99 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the New England Region
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Design & Applied Arts Related Rankings by Major
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Design
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.