Waltham, Massachusetts has 4 accredited schools offering industrial design programs, with tuition ranging from $42,419 to $60,314 per year for indexed programs. Waltham has a population of about 64,723. Median household income is $116,560 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 56.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $205,130 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Waltham
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Waltham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Waltham city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Waltham.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,582
Avg net price
$24,100/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 21
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,721
Avg net price
$34,170/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts industrial design page.
Industrial Design Wages Near Waltham
Waltham is part of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (BLS area code 14460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers |
$102,530 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$94,672 |
| Industrial Engineers |
$118,970 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$109,852 |
| Graphic Designers |
$78,270 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$72,271 |
| Mechanical Drafters |
$78,210 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$72,216 |
| Interior Designers |
$81,480 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$75,235 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers |
$205,130 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$189,409 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers |
$74,710 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$68,984 |
| Mechanical Engineers |
$119,300 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
$110,157 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Waltham at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
64,723 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$116,560 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
56.4% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
108.3 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Waltham-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
- Watertown, MA – 3.6 mi away (35,025 pop)
- Newton, MA – 4.3 mi away (89,045 pop)
- Cambridge, MA – 6.4 mi away (110,651 pop)
- Somerville, MA – 7.2 mi away (81,322 pop)
- Medford, MA – 7.2 mi away (57,213 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited industrial design schools are near Waltham, MA?
Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Waltham. The closest is Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA (8.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is NHTI-Concord’s Community College (59.5 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Waltham?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Waltham are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($205,130), Mechanical Engineers ($119,300), Industrial Engineers ($118,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Watertown instead of Waltham?
Watertown, MA is 3.6 miles from Waltham and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Waltham an affordable place to study industrial design?
Waltham’s median household income of $116,560 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Waltham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Industrial Design Programs
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Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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