Design and Technology

Design and Technology (MFA) Application Instructions

Deadline

The Admission Committee will make a decision on your application only after all the required materials have been received.

Applicants for who wish to be considered for a Dean's Scholarship for the upcoming fall semester must submit a complete application packet by January 10. Applications received after January 10 will be considered on a rolling basis. 

Required materials

You may download these instructions.

Parsons graduate programs use a self-managed application process: You submit your application online and then mail any supplemental application materials, preferably in a single packet, to the Office of Admission. Include the Materials Cover Sheet (Adobe PDF) with all mailed application materials; the cover sheet can be downloaded from the Supplemental Forms section of the online application.

Applicants must submit the following items to the Office of Admission:

1. Application: Complete the online application .
2. Application Fee: Pay the $50 nonrefundable application fee. A credit card is required to submit the online application.
3. Official Transcripts: Submit a sealed original copy of your official college transcripts along with your application packet. If that is not possible, have the institution send the transcripts directly to the Office of Admission at the address listed below. Photocopies are not acceptable.
   
   International Transcripts: All applicants with transcripts from international institutions must submit an original transcript from each institution attended outside the United States. Additionally, a certified English language translation must be provided for all official international transcripts that are not written in English.Applicants who would like to transfer academic credits earned at non-U.S. institutions also must to have their transcript(s) evaluated by World Education Services (WES), our preferred provider, or by another member of the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES). A course-by-course evaluation report must be prepared for each transcript. Please start the evaluation process as early as possible, including the submission of all required documents to WES (or another provider), in order to ensure the timely completion of the evaluation report. In addition, an admission counselor may require a transcript evaluation by WES or an NACES-approved evaluator if it is deemed a necessary part of the admission decision process, even when applicants do not want transfer credits applied to a program of interest. Instruct the provider to send the report to
   
   Parsons The New School for Design
   Office of Admission
   Graduate Programs
   72 Fifth Avenue
   New York, NY 10011
   
   If applying online for transcript evaluation, search for "New School Parsons" when requesting our institution.
   
   If your provider is unable to send the evaluation report directly to the Office of Admission, please obtain a copy and send it yourself to Parsons accompanied by a Materials Cover Sheet.
4. Résumé: Submit a brief résumé/curriculum vitae summarizing your academic qualifications, relevant work experience, volunteer/community work, travel, exhibitions, public speaking, or any other relevant experiences as they may relate to your field of study, including dates and positions held. Please also note any special language or computer skills that you have. The résumé must be submitted online with the application.
5. Statement of Interest and Intentions: Please outline your reasons for applying to this program. In what ways will you contribute to the subject matter of the program? You should include a thoughtful description of your background, tentative plan of study or area of inquiry in the field as you now envision it, your professional goals, and how this graduate program will help you realize those goals. If you have not been enrolled as a student in the past five years, please address anticipated opportunities and challenges in pursuing the degree, and future career expectations upon completion of the program. Student are strongly encouraged to visit mfadt.parsons.edu before completing their Statement of Interest and Intentions and Portfolio URL.
   
6. Recommendations: Provide two letters of recommendation from faculty members with whom you have studied at other institutions or from people with whom you have worked professionally. Your references may submit their recommendations online, or you may forward sealed original copies with your application packet.
7. TOEFL or IELTS:If English is not your native language, submit results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The minimum TOEFL score required for acceptance to this program is 92 for the Internet-based exam, 580 for the paper-based, or 237 for the computer-based. A minimum IELTS score required for acceptance to this program is 7.0.
   
   Students required to take the TOEFL can obtain further information from the Educational Testing Service. Additional information for the IELTS can be found on their website atwww.ielts.org.
   
8. Portfolio: Your portfolio should be a visual and narrative reflection of the work listed and described on your résumé and in your essay. Your projects and portfolio pieces should tell a story about you and what is important to you. Your application's narrative should explain why you are a good fit for the Design and Technology program. Submit your portfolio via a URL link. Be prepared to supply the link as part of the online application. The linked page must have all artwork included when the application is submitted. Please hand-code your site or use an online portfolio tool. NO hardcopy portfolios will be accepted.
9. Interviews: Finalists being considered for admission to the program may be required to schedule an over the phone or in person interview with the director or a full-time faculty member of the MFA DT program. Foreign students should make themselves available via Skype at a mutually agreed upon time.