As the nation’s first and only public college of art and design, we’ve spent 150 years demonstrating the truly amazing things that happen when world-class education is an option for every deserving student.
We are a community of artists and designers from all walks of life, excited by the opportunity to learn, live, and do great work together.
MassArt By the Numbers
STUDENT BODY
Undergraduate Students: 1682
Graduate Students: 104
Continuing Education Students: 153
RESIDENCY
Students from Massachusetts: 73%
Other New England States: 12%
Outside of New England: 15%
FACULTY
Full Time Faculty: 120
Part Time/Adjunct Faculty: 182
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees
Massachusetts: $14,570
Other New England States: $32,720
Outside of New England: $40,960
Our Legacy
In 1873, the Massachusetts Normal Art School opened its doors in response to the Massachusetts Drawing Act, a progressive 1870 mandate requiring all cities in the Commonwealth of over 10,000 residents to include drawing in their public school curricula (“normal schools” were the precursors to teachers’ colleges). The Industrial Revolution was changing the way the world functioned, and mid-19th Century Bostonians believed that industry wasn’t the only way to build a stronger nation. Art, they felt certain, was also essential to growing a powerful country, a vital economy, and improving and advancing the well-being of citizens. London and Paris - thriving cities with grand museums and galleries - were compelling examples.
Land Acknowledgment
The campus of Massachusetts College of Art and Design is located on the lands of indigenous tribes, such as the Wampanoag and Massachusett. We make this land acknowledgment to pay respect to these communities – past, present, and future – and recognize the painful history of erasure and ongoing violence toward indigenous people in North America and across the world. We acknowledge this part of our history to affirm our values to pursue a more just, compassionate, and equitable learning environment.