I feel like I know Mass College of Art and Design (MassArt) because my oldest took many classes here as a high school student.
In addition, I am mentoring a First To Go To College student at my kids’ high school and her first choice school is MassArt where she hopes to major in graphic design. So I have been studying up on MassArt and want to share what I’ve learned so far for anyone interested in either the high school classes or applying here.
First of all, Mass College of Art and Design is the only state art school in the country! This makes it an incredible bargain as tuition for a Massachusetts resident is a mere $1030. Total cost is only $13,200 per year for an undergraduate. If you don’t live in Massachusetts, it’s still quite affordable:
Cost of attendance for students living on-campus* | Massachusetts Resident | New England Resident (CT, ME, NH, RI, VT) | Out of State Resident |
Tuition and fees | $13,200 | $28,000 | $36,400 |
Average cost of room and board** | $13,500 | $13,500 | $13,500 |
Personal living allowance (non-billed expense) | $1,400 | $1,400 | $1,400 |
Art supplies and books (non-billed expense) | $2,100 | $2,100 | $2,100 |
Totals | $30,200 | $45,000 | $53,400 |
My college freshman dorm mate, Lisa Rosowsky, is a professor of graphic design at MassArt. When I’ve met with her, she’s talked about the success MassArt students have in the job market upon graduating because it offers high demand skills classes such as user experience design. They also have unique partnerships like one with North Bennet Street School for Furniture Design. All their programs are here.
MassArt has a foundation year which is a great way for art students to get exposure to many creative areas before deciding on a major:
Year 1 – Foundation Year
- 2 semesters of Drawing (Figurative/Breadth)
- Visual Language (2D)
- Time (4D)
- Form Study (3D)
- Studio Elective
- Thinking, Making, Writing
- Freshman Seminar
- Intro to Western Art
- History of Art Elective
My high school mentee is from China and has studied in the United States for two years. She does NOT have to take the ACT or SAT. It is not required. She does have to take the TOEFL (they want an 85 or higher) or DuoLingo since she still takes ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. She also qualifies for Massachusetts residency in terms of tuition costs.
Here’s our visit of MassArt which includes a selection of student art!
More about Art Colleges from our college tours:
Visiting California College of the Arts
Visiting California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Visiting Emily Carr Art + Design University in Canada
Applying to Art School: School of Visual Arts
Applying to RISD: Advice from Antonio Peters in Admissions
Tips for National Portfolio Day
Visiting West Coast Art Schools with Foodie Stops Along the Way
and some fun stuff …
If you are visiting New York City, here are our cheap foodie finds.
45 Art Gifts for Seriously Arty Kids (by my arty daughter)
Art Competitions for Kids and Teens
Our Art Gift Kits for Arty Kids
10 Inspirational Art Books for Arty Kids
My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
My son is a Photography major at MassArt. He loves the program he’s in. I love the student shows and student art sales that are made available to the public throughout the year. I’ve bought wonderful pieces of art from the many talented young people at this college.