Graduate Decorative Arts

Registration, Tuition & Fees

Application Deadline: April 15, 2020

Please note this course has been postponed until next year.

This course is open to university graduate degree candidates and undergraduate seniors by permission of the School of Art and Design History and Theory. Please contact [email protected] or call 212.849.8313. We recommend early action, as the class size is limited and the course may fill before the registration deadline.

Tuition and Fees: $6,225, including all gratuities, course materials, and local travel. Participants are responsible for their own accommodations, meals, and transportation to and from the course.

Payment Methods

Online Registration: Payment is by credit card only. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

Note: Credit and debit cards often have limits on how much can be charged. Your bank may deny approval for a credit card payment if the card is issued by a non-U.S. bank. To ensure a smooth registration process, please check with your bank before submitting your credit card information. Also make sure the expiration date of the card is more than two months after the date of your tuition payment.

Payment by credit card: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express are accepted. Include your credit card number and the expiration date on the Registration Form.

Withdrawals and Refunds

Students who registered online should withdraw using the online registration system. Students who registered by mail or in person must submit a withdrawal request in writing by email to [email protected]. In order to qualify for a refund of tuition, cancellation requests must be submitted by the deadlines indicated below.

Before April 1: full refund of tuition

Before May 1: refund of tuition less 25% penalty

May 1 or later: no tuition refund

Note: If a course is canceled by Parsons for any reason, a full refund of tuition and fees will be issued.

If you have questions about the Decorative Arts Graduate Seminar, contact [email protected].

The summer 2020 program will take place June 15-26. Courses meet from Monday to Friday for two weeks.

Each summer, Parsons faculty organize two-week graduate study courses in settings around the world — Paris, London, Berlin, Stockholm, and Helsinki, to name some recent examples — that are rich in history and opportunities for focused study of decorative arts, design, and curatorial work. These courses draw on local cultural resources and offer unparalleled access to the objects, interiors, curators, and approaches to scholarship and presentation that make these cultural capitals unique. Recent classes have engaged with topics including Scandinavian modernism and national identity, French period interiors, and German material culture from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

The summer 2020 program will be “Paris: The Capital of the Arts.” Taught by Ulrich Leben, the program will include visits to historic sites that are closely related to the history of the decorative arts and architecture of France. The class will visit museums and historic palaces, allowing students to see interiors, room decorations, and furniture  from the 17th to the early 20th century in their original settings. Sites include:

• Château de Versailles (private tours)
• Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
• Decorative Arts Department, Louvre Museum
• Decorative Arts Museum
• Musée Nissim de Camondo
• Musée Jacquemart André
• La Conciergerie, the prison in which Marie-Antoinette was held
• La Sainte Chapelle
• Musée Carnavalet (to reopen in 2020)
• Musée Cognac Jay
• Sèvres Manufacture Museum
• Palais Beauharnais, the German ambassador's residence
• Château de Malmaison
• Château de Compiègne
• Le Musée du Petit Palais
• Musée d’Orsay, where the class will view decorative arts
• Maison de Verre, dating from the 1920s

This course is open to university graduate degree candidates and undergraduate seniors by permission of the School of Art and Design History and Theory. 

Graduate Credit

Participants earn three graduate credits for successful completion of the course.

Course Requirements

Students are expected to attend all classes, site visits, and excursions. Classes and excursions begin promptly at the designated times; latecomers cannot be accommodated. Grades are based on class participation and a final research paper.

The course is moderately physically challenging, as it involves hours of walking and standing. Because of space limitations, friends and family are not permitted to join the class for lectures, walks, or site visits.