Reviews of Mass College of Art

The Massachusetts College of Art (MCA), in Boston, Massachusetts, was established in 1873. Students can pursue degrees in fine arts in 18 undergraduate programs or graduate degrees in fine arts, art education and architecture as well as post-baccalaureate teacher preparation certificates. MCA is accredited with both the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

According to 4 International Colleges and Universities (www.4icu.org), MCA awards Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees (for 3 to 5 years of study), and Master's degrees in Arts and Humanities. Tuition for local students ranges between $5,000 to $7,500 (4,200 to 6,300 Euro) and for international students can rise above $20,000 (>16,900 Euro). The student body is co-ed, with 60 percent of applicants selected for admission based on entry tests and student school marks. Total enrollment in this urban, public, nonprofit school is fewer than 3,000 students. On-site housing is available. The school year is split into semesters.

At the Students Review website (www.studentsreview.com), eight students reviewed MCA, giving the school an overall rating of B-. Students rated the surrounding city and the university computer labs and resources an A, the quality of their education a B- and the extracurricular activities a low C, with only 56 percent of those surveyed saying they would return to MCA. Students commented that you will get out of the training what you put into it as effort, and to take advantage of the resources provided. Students at MCA must be self-motivated. Business courses are offered as electives not required classes.

Five students reviewed MCA on Yelp (www.yelp.com). Students and former students rated the school between three and five stars. Because the school is state funded, tuition is reasonable, but the trade-off is in focus on recruitment rather than existing students. Students complained that classrooms were often cold and printers might run out of ink at crucial times during finals, but the fact that "MassArt" is a state-funded school of art is rather special.