History of the School
- The New England School of Art & Design
- Suffolk University
- The Merging of the Two Institutions
The New England School of Art & Design
The New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University was founded as The New England School of Art in 1923 with a mission to prepare students for professional careers in art and design. The school was incorporated and licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1948. In 1975, it was renamed The New England School of Art & Design and at the same time, moved to 28 Newbury Street where it resided for the next twenty years. The School of Art & Design is currently located at 75 Arlington Street in Boston’s Bay, where it occupies over 43, 000 square feet in a modern facility with state-of-the-art classrooms, studios and equipment.
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private university founded in 1906. Originally a Law School, Suffolk now includes a College of Arts & Sciences and a Business School offering graduate and undergraduate degrees. While Suffolk’s main campus is located in Boston, Massachusetts, the University has international campuses in Madrid, Spain and Senegal, West Africa and also offers local joint programming with Dean College, Merrimack College and Cape Cod Community College.
The Merging of the Two Institutions
The academic collaboration between The New England School of Art & Design and Suffolk University began in 1988 with an articulation agreement, allowing art and design students to enroll in Suffolk courses. The following year joint Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees were offered in Fine Arts, Graphic Design and Interior Design. In 1996, the two institutions successfully merged, and The School of Art & Design became a department within the College of Art & Sciences.