Course General Description

This prestigious two-year master’s degree program, which Parsons offers in conjunction with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, brings an object-focused, practice-based approach to the study of European and American decorative arts and design dating from the Renaissance to the present. Housed for more than 30 years at Cooper Hewitt — the only U.S. museum devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design — the program enables students to work directly with the museum’s collections and its curators, conservators, educators, and designers.

School General Description

Parsons School of Design has offered students innovative approaches to education since its founding in 1896. Today it is the only American art and design school within a comprehensive university, The New School, which also houses a rigorous liberal arts college and a progressive performing arts school. Its undergraduate and graduate programs, offered through Parsons’ five schools, immerse students in focused training, interdisciplinary inquiry, and practice-based collaborative learning. Here creators and scholars master established art and design fields and advance emerging ones while studying a range of university disciplines. Guided by renowned faculty and curricula, a diverse international community disrupts the status quo, fostering social and environmental good and preparing for an evolving workplace. New York City is home to Parsons’ main campus and a range of creative practitioners and industries. Parsons Paris offers students an atelier-like setting from which to explore heritage brands and traditions, new technologies, and a host of art, design, and business partners in Europe and beyond. Together, these complementary learning communities make Parsons a singular launchpad for a creative education and career.