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  • The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is awarded for completion of 120 credits as designated by the program. A maximum of 60 credits may be transferred from another institution. Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and fulfill all requirements in a timely manner.

    Your BFA begins with Parsons’ first-year curriculum, which serves as the first-year course of study for all undergraduate programs at Parsons. The first year immerses you in an exploration of art and design concepts, skills, and critical practices, training students to become flexible thinkers, proficient makers, and lifelong learners.

    To guide students as they create their own study pathway, the IDP program offers a series of studio courses designed to develop the abilities needed to work across disciplines, types of projects, sets of skills, and kinds of communities (users, audiences, industries, and other stakeholders). These courses introduce students to diverse methodologies in a range of media to help them tackle contemporary challenges in their studies and after college.

    Like other undergraduates, IDP students take prerequisite courses that build toward advanced classes in a given discipline. Accordingly, we encourage students to complete prerequisites during their sophomore year. Although many Parsons courses are open to students of all majors, some classes have restrictions, especially those that depend on specific facilities. 

    Throughout your studies, art and design history and theory courses develop essential research, writing, and critical reasoning skills as well as the conceptual foundations for creative inquiry.

    In collaboration with faculty and assigned advisors, IDP students select from a set of approved electives to design a pathway and map out an integrative learning experience. Advisors help students understand and address the expectations of their study pathway. (NOTE: All IDP students are expected to plan ahead by identifying prerequisites relevant to their learning objectives and pathways for their three years of study in the IDP program.)

    Parsons’ position within a major university—The New School—informs our interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and practice. University electives broaden your skills and perspectives with a wide range of liberal arts courses in the humanities, the social sciences, media studies, and business.

    In their senior year, IDP students undertake a two-part capstone course. In the fall semester, students are guided through a process that brings together research and rapid prototyping. In the spring semester, students refine their project, fabricate it, and package it. The format for showcasing seniors’ work varies from year to year.

    To view degree requirements from prior years, visit the Academic Catalogs archive For a complete listing of courses and course descriptions, visit the university course catalog.


  • FIRST YEAR F S
    PUFY 1000 Integrative Studio 1 3 -
    PUFY 1010 Integrative Seminar 1 3 -
    PUFY 1100 Sustainable Systems 3 -
    PUFY 1020 Space/Materiality 3 -
    PUFY 1030 Drawing/Imaging 3 -
    PUFY 1040 Time - 3
    PUFY 1001 Integrative Studio 2 - 3
    PUFY 1011 Integrative Seminar 2 - 3
    PLHT 1000 Objects as History - 3
    - 3
    Subtotal 15 15
    SOPHOMORE YEAR F S
    PUIC 2450 Integrated Design Studio 1 3 -
    PSDS 2115 Creative Team Dynamics 3 -
    PUIC 2460 Integrated Media 3 -
    PLxx 2xxx / 2xxx History of [Area of Choice]: Lecture / Recitation 3 -
    3 -
    PLxx 2xxx / 2xxx Intro to [Area of Choice]: Lecture / Recitation - 3
    PUIC 2451 Integrated Design Studio 2 - 3
    PSDS 2100 Research & Development Methods: Integrated Making - 3
    - 3
    - 3
    Subtotal 15 15
    JUNIOR YEAR F S
    PUIC 3450 Integrated Design Studio 3 3 -
    3 -
    3 3
    6 3
    PSDS 3530 Collab - 3
    PSDS 3160 Creatives and Entrepreneurship - 3
    - 3
    Subtotal 15 15
    SENIOR YEAR F S
    PLxx 3xxx Advanced Research Seminar 3 -
    PUIC 4450 Integrated Design Studio 5 3 -
    3 -
    3 -
    3 6
    PUIC 4451 Integrated Design Studio 6 - 3
    PSDS 4111 Navigating the Field - 3
    - 3
    Subtotal 15 15
    Total Credits
    120

    Objects as History and Sustainable Systems can be taken in either sequence, one in the fall semester and one in the spring.

    The three first-year studio courses — Drawing/Imaging, Space/Materiality, and Time — can be taken in any sequence, two in the fall semester and one in the spring.

    BA/BFA students completing a BFA in Integrated Design: Please speak to your advisor to see how your course requirements are spread across your five years at The New School.

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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.

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