Best Craft Artist programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment
Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and.
27 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 504 people a year. The job pays a median of $47,660 in Massachusetts across about 50 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Massachusetts page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0701In Massachusetts → | 313 | 62.1% | 18 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0101In Massachusetts → | 71 | 14.1% | 8 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0708In Massachusetts → | 46 | 9.1% | 5 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0709In Massachusetts → | 21 | 4.2% | 4 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0711In Massachusetts → | 17 | 3.4% | 2 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 6 | CIP 50.0710In Massachusetts → | 15 | 3.0% | 3 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 7 | CIP 50.0712In Massachusetts → | 11 | 2.2% | 2 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 8 | CIP 50.0713In Massachusetts → | 5 | 1.0% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 9 | Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanrymain feeder CIP 50.0201In Massachusetts → | 3 | 0.6% | 2 | $25,027 | $27,000 |
| 10 | CIP 50.0705In Massachusetts → | 2 | 0.4% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in Massachusetts
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 27 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tufts University Medford, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 134 | Art/Art Studies, General | $17,154 | 94% | $23,570 | 11% |
| 2 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA Public · 7 feeder programs | 58 | Sculpture | $21,461 | 69% | — | 76% |
| 3 | Williams College Williamstown, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Art/Art Studies, General | $34,560 | 94% | $10,747 | 8% |
| 4 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 98% | $15,013 | 4% |
| 5 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 34 | Painting | $17,374 | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 6 | Hampshire College Amherst, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 54% | $22,968 | 75% |
| 7 | University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA Public · 6 feeder programs | 23 | Ceramic Arts and Ceramics | $23,214 | 52% | — | 91% |
| 8 | Amherst College Amherst, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 94% | $16,081 | 9% |
| 9 | Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 10 | University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Art/Art Studies, General | $36,980 | 49% | — | 84% |
| 11 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Art/Art Studies, General | $33,440 | 54% | — | 81% |
| 12 | Montserrat College of Art Beverly, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 12 | Painting | $21,543 | 53% | $34,176 | — |
| 13 | Framingham State University Framingham, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Art/Art Studies, General | $28,843 | 48% | — | 84% |
| 14 | Berkshire Community College Pittsfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 20% | — | — |
| 15 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 87% | $24,533 | 18% |
| 16 | Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 21% | — | — |
| 17 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 56% | — | 90% |
| 18 | Salem State University Salem, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Painting | $26,180 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 19 | Worcester State University Worcester, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 61% | — | 88% |
| 20 | Holyoke Community College Holyoke, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 29% | — | — |
| 21 | Lesley University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 58% | $30,837 | 97% |
| 22 | Simmons University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 72% | $24,848 | 70% |
| 23 | Greenfield Community College Greenfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 24 | Middlesex Community College Bedford, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 23% | — | — |
| 25 | Springfield College Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 74% | $26,290 | 72% |
All 27 schools in Massachusetts
Every school in Massachusetts with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts University | Medford | Private not-for-profit | 134 | 1 |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Boston | Public | 58 | 7 |
| Williams College | Williamstown | Private not-for-profit | 45 | 1 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge | Private not-for-profit | 42 | 1 |
| Boston University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 34 | 3 |
| Hampshire College | Amherst | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth | North Dartmouth | Public | 23 | 6 |
| Amherst College | Amherst | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Mount Wachusett Community College | Gardner | Public | 15 | 1 |
| University of Massachusetts - Boston | Boston | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Westfield State University | Westfield | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Montserrat College of Art | Beverly | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 4 |
| Framingham State University | Framingham | Public | 11 | 1 |
| Berkshire Community College | Pittsfield | Public | 8 | 1 |
| College of the Holy Cross | Worcester | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
What craft artists earn in Massachusetts
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $46,080. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Craft Artists page.
How to become a Craft Artist
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Massachusetts
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Craft Artists11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0101Visual and Performing Arts, General
- 50.0201Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry
- 50.0701Art/Art Studies, General
- 50.0705Drawing
- 50.0708Painting
- 50.0709Sculpture
- 50.0710Printmaking
- 50.0711Ceramic Arts and Ceramics
- 50.0712Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts
- 50.0713Jewelry Arts
- 50.0714Metal Arts
Common questions
Answers for people weighing craft artists programs in Massachusetts.
What degree do you need to become a Craft Artist?+
No formal educational credential is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Art/Art Studies, General, which awarded 313 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 62.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Craft Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Crafts/Craft Design. Together they graduate about 504 people a year in Massachusetts.
How much do craft artists earn in Massachusetts?+
The median is $47,660 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.4% above the U.S. median of $46,080. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for craft artists growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Massachusetts?+
27 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 10 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do craft artists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Fiber Artist, Glass Artist, Textile Artist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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