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The Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (IES NCES) has released current figures for post-secondary institutions in the U.S. Massachusetts is now home to 124 Title IV degree-granting institutions. These schools belong to a coveted group of Title IV institutions, but they had to meet five strict requirements to become members. These schools (1) have been in business for at least 2 years (2) have accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (3) have signed a participation agreement with the Department (4) offer a program of at least 300 clock hours in length, and (5) grant an associate's degree or higher. Title IV status means these schools are eligible for Title IV financial aid programs.

Multi-faceted, tech savvy, innovative, and creative—these are just some of the words used to describe today’s graphic designer. Technology has forced designers of all kinds to step up their game in order to keep up. To meet this demand, many U.S. schools have also stepped it up. This has resulted in one of the world’s largest collection of top-tier graphic design programs. While some of the best graphic design programs can be found everywhere from Maine to New Mexico, some states have more than others. Massachusetts is one of those states.

The state of Massachusetts is one of the oldest places in the U.S. It’s home to the first public park in America—Boston Common; the city of Boston built the country’s first subway system (not New York); the very first basketball game was played in Springfield, and the first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth (1621). With so much history, its not surprising that Massachusetts is also home to the oldest university in the U.S., and some of the most prestigious.

Animation is one of the fastest growing specialized fields in the entertainment industry, once again. When the worst part of the recession hit, the nation lost thousands of animators, but by 2006, the population was already starting to grow again. In 2006, the U.S. was home to 23,790 salaried animators and thousands of freelance animators. Today, the nation is home to nearly 30,000 salaried animators, and still thousands of independent artists.