• Interior Design MFA

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    Student sitting on a bed as part of an installation that puts the physical and digital in dialogue through virtual reality.
    Student posting work on the wall in preparation for a presentation.

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    What our students, alumni, and faculty are doing in NYC and worldwide

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    Program Contact
    Michele Gorman, Program Director

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  • The Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design is an exploratory program guided by students’ research interests aimed at charting radical, regenerative pathways for interior design. Focusing on design as a social practice, the program enables students to develop innovative design practices. Together students and faculty reshape traditional definitions of the field by exploring human and nonhuman species’ experiences as they relate to space, technology, and materials. Students employ their unique cultural perspectives to investigate interiors in relation to current social, gender, and racial issues while addressing the impact of design on health, climate, and ecology. 

    Program Highlights

    • Future-Facing Approaches

      Integrate sustainable design strategies with new technology and materials to address social changes and demographic shifts shaping clients’ needs today.

    • New Design Directions

      Imagine new possibilities for the design of habitable space under the guidance of a faculty of distinguished practicing professionals.

    • NYC Learning Laboratory

      Use New York City as an urban laboratory and draw on Parsons’ long-standing connections to design firms, manufacturers, galleries, and museums.

    • Creative Collaboration

      Share fabrication and studio spaces with related graduate programs in students from the Architecture, Lighting Design, and Industrial Design programs, fostering interdisciplinary work.

    • Double Major Option

      Develop a technical, aesthetic, and experiential understanding of light and interior space with a three-year Interior Design/Lighting Design double major.

    • Degree Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
    • Format Full-time, on campus
    • Credits 60
    • Duration 2 years

  • Curriculum

    The studio-based and research-oriented curriculum challenges you to analyze the relationship between human behavior and perception of the interior. This program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

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  • Career Paths

    Graduates are positioned to transform the field as practitioners and educators by working in interior design and architecture studios and in the fields of industrial design and sustainable design; developing new design practices; and collaborating with nonprofit, government, and educational institutions.

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    Discover what our students, alumni, and faculty are doing in NYC and worldwide.

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      See Our Work

    • Parsons faculty represent a broad range of expertise and are acknowledged as leading practitioners and scholars in their fields.

    • Beyond the Classroom

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        Research Labs

        Research is integral to the Parsons learning experience, and students and faculty work together to challenge existing paradigms and advance emerging scholarship and practice. Explore the thematic research laboratories housed at Parsons and throughout The New School.

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        Industry Engagement

        Connect to the organizations, businesses, and entrepreneurs driving global creativity and commerce. In classes, internships, and extracurricular projects, you gain marketable problem-solving skills in sectors ranging from government and nonprofits to tech and creative industries.

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        Internships

        New York City’s thriving creative industry and cultural institutions are part of your Parsons education. Our Career Services Office is enmeshed in the art and design industries and can help you advance your career with industry-oriented internships. 

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        Funded Opportunities

        Funds are earmarked for graduate travel, research, and work to support your study. Opportunities include paid teaching assistantships, research fellowships and assistantships (including ones offered throughout The New School), ample student employment, and other grants available to U.S. domestic and international students alike.

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        Making & Academic Resources

        Enjoy access to extensive resources including New School libraries, computer labs, archives, and studios, along with Parsons’ state-of-the-art Making Center, facilities offering a broad array of tools to support your creative and academic growth.

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      Undergraduates

      To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

      Undergraduate Adult Learners

      To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

      Graduates

      To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.