Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Watertown, MA (2026)

Watertown, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $58,150 to $77,082 per year for indexed programs. Watertown has a population of about 35,025. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $135,640 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Watertown

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Watertown, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Watertown 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:

  • 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 Watertown. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA 2.3 miles from Watertown BOC Score 78.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $103,937
Avg net price $41,704/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bentley University

Waltham, MA 2.5 miles from Watertown BOC Score 78.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $120,959
Avg net price $37,930/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 3.0 miles from Watertown BOC Score 90.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lasell University

Newton, MA 3.8 miles from Watertown BOC Score 46.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,705
Avg net price $27,511/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA 4.4 miles from Watertown BOC Score 75.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 40%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,231
Avg net price $35,736/yr
Tuition
In‑state$68,080
Out‑of‑state$68,080
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA 4.4 miles from Watertown BOC Score 79.6
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $143,372
Avg net price $20,111/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 99%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Tufts University

Medford, MA 4.9 miles from Watertown BOC Score 77.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,214
Avg net price $39,998/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Hult International Business School

Cambridge, MA 5.5 miles from Watertown BOC Score 52.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 68%
Avg net price $45,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts liberal arts page.


Liberal Arts Wages Near Watertown

Watertown 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist$81,440Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$75,199
Management Analyst$135,640Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$125,245
Technical Writer$111,750Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$103,186
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist$62,750Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$57,941
Editor$86,410Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$79,788
Training and Development Specialist$83,800Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$77,378
Human Resources Specialist$90,270Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$83,352

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.


Watertown at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)108.3 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in Middlesex County1,894 workers, 327 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Watertown-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Watertown, MA?

Accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Watertown are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Watertown?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Watertown are: Management Analyst ($135,640), Technical Writer ($111,750), Human Resources Specialist ($90,270). 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 Cambridge instead of Watertown?

Cambridge, MA is 3.0 miles from Watertown and has its own set of local liberal arts programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

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 Liberal Arts Programs

Other Programs Available in Watertown

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Watertown:

Data verified: July 23, 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.