As you conduct your college search, you may come across a number of “specialized” schools. These types of institutions focus on certain vocations, from art and music to technology, business, and more. They focus less on gen eds and the liberal arts and more on classes that relate directly to your field of interest. Labs, fieldwork, internships, co-ops, and other hands-on, skill-building experiences may also be required to earn your degree. If this sounds like your ideal college experience, read on to learn about some great specialized schools in the Northeastern US. Click the green “Connect me with” buttons underneath each listing to request more information and get recruited—it’s an easy way to jump-start your college search and demonstrate your interest. Start exploring your options now!
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology is a public school of art & design and business & technology on a five-acre campus in Midtown Manhattan, New York. FIT offers a wide range of major study areas, including Fashion, Design, Advertising, Marketing Communications, International Business, Art History & Museum Professions, Film & Media, and much more. More than 2,000 students benefit from an average class size of 25, a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, apartment-style rooms in four residence halls, a dance studio, laboratories, a counseling center, 10 intercollegiate teams, and 60 student clubs and organizations.
Goldey-Beacom College
Goldey-Beacom College is a small private four-year college on a 24-acre campus located in a suburb of Wilmington, Delaware. With more than 1,800 students, GBC offers bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, Criminal Justice, English, Human Services, and Communication & Media as well as a variety of associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in Business. The College also boasts a career-focused curriculum, an active internship-for-credit program, and a strong placement rate for graduates.
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New England Institute of Technology
New England Institute of Technology is a private nonprofit technical university with a 225-acre main campus in East Greenwich, Rhode Island—plus two additional campuses in Warwick. With a focus on hands-on learning, NEIT offers more than 50 associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and online degree programs to over 3,000 students. Areas of study include Applied Engineering; Architecture, Design & Construction Technologies; Automotive Technologies; Business Management; Criminal Justice; Digital Technologies; Health Science; Marine Technology; and Veterinary Technology.
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College is a private specialized institution on a 14,200-acre wilderness campus on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake in Paul Smith's, New York. Known as the College of the Adirondacks, Paul Smith’s sits in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park and offers 20+ bachelor’s and five associate degree programs as well as a master’s degree in Natural Resources Conservation. The College’s 750 students live in a conscientiously “green” campus community that’s home to collegiate woodsmen’s and snowshoeing teams, the Adirondack Watershed Institute, a high ropes course, miles of hiking trails, an indoor climbing wall, 25+ miles of Nordic ski trails, and more.
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology, an affiliate campus of The Pennsylvania State University, is a public technical institution located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. More than 4,000 students receive a hands-on education in 100+ academic programs through the Schools of Business, Arts & Sciences; Engineering Technologies; and Nursing & Health Sciences. Penn College also offers students 150+ labs, a 3:1 lab-to-lecture ratio, clinicals, internships, community projects, clubs, and competitions.
Pratt Institute
The Pratt Institute is a private multipurpose institute on a 25-acre campus in Brooklyn, New York—20 minutes from Manhattan. Over 25 majors and concentrations are offered through the Schools of Architecture and Art & Design, with a faculty of practicing professionals and a student body of over 5,000 undergrad and graduate students. Pratt is recognized as one of the top five art, design, and architecture schools in the world, and around 93% of students are employed within one year of graduation with the help of the Career Services Office.
SUNY Maritime College
SUNY Maritime College is a public multipurpose college on a 55-acre campus in Throggs Neck, New York. The College is one of six state maritime academies in the US focusing on Engineering, Marine Environmental Science, Marine Transportation, Maritime Studies, and Business. Approximately 70% of students work toward a joint bachelor’s degree and US Coast Guard license—which requires participation in the regiment of cadets, a disciplined lifestyle program—while others follow a more traditional path with study abroad opportunities, internships, and campus activities.
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Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wentworth Institute of Technology is a private vocational tech school on a 31-acre urban campus in Boston, Massachusetts. WIT enrolls around 4,000 undergraduates and offers programs through the Schools of Architecture & Design, Computing & Data Science, Engineering, Management, and Sciences & Humanities. Students benefit from small class sizes (with approximately 20 students on average), a dedicated teaching faculty with professional industry experience, comprehensive cooperative education programs, and more than 60 student activities and chapter memberships in professional associations.
Looking for a different type of college experience? Check out all our featured college lists to explore comprehensive institutions, liberal arts programs, research-intensive schools, and more.
