Admission Requirements

Design and Urban Ecologies (MS) Application Instructions

Deadline

Applicants who wish to be considered for a Dean's Scholarship should submit a complete application packet by January 10. After January 10, applications will be considered on a rolling basis. 

You can download these instructions.

Requirements

Parsons graduate programs use a self-managed application process: You apply online and then mail any supplemental application materials, preferably in a single packet, to the Office of Admission. Include a Materials Cover Sheet, which can be downloaded from the Supplemental Forms section of the online application.

Applicants must submit the following materials 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 College Transcripts: Submit a sealed original copy of your official college transcripts along with your application packet. If that is not possible, instruct the institution to send transcripts directly to the Office of Admission at the address 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 are also required 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 Graduate Programs
   Office of Admission
   72 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10011
   
   If you request your report online, search for "New School Parsons" when selecting our institution. If your provider is unable to send the evaluation report directly to the school, please obtain the report and send it to parsons, along with a materials cover sheet.
4. Résumé: Submit a brief résumé or curriculum vitae summarizing your academic qualifications, relevant work experience, volunteer and community work, travel, exhibitions, public speaking, or any other experiences as they relate to your field of study, including dates and positions held. Also note any special language or computer skills that you have. The résumé must be submitted online with the application.
5. Statement of Interests and Intentions (500-750 word limit): Please outline your reasons for applying to this program. In what ways will you contribute to the subject matter of the program? Include a thoughtful description of your background, a tentative plan of study or area of inquiry in the field as you now envision it, your professional goals, and the way 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. The statement of interest must be submitted online with the application.
6. Recommendations: Two letters of recommendation from either faculty members or people with whom you have worked professionally. Your references can submit recommendations online, or you can forward sealed original copies with your application packet.
7. TOEFL or IELTS: If English is not your native language, you must 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 exam, or 237 for the computer-based exam. The 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 on the IELTS can be found at www.ielts.org.
8. Portfolio: The Design and Urban Ecologies program welcomes designers, researchers, professionals, and academics to apply. Submit a printed portfolio in bound book form, no larger than 9" x 12" (A4), including approximately 20 items that you believe best represent your background, interests in urbanization, activism, work process, and writings. These items may include research outcomes, design strategies, articles, publications, photographs, interviews, presentations, video clips, websites, blog URLs, essays, and other media. Where appropriate, include descriptions of the projects, explanations of your role (if the project involved a team), and/or a thoughtful description of the context of the project. If you have dynamic media or other time-based work, you can include a supplementary CD, DVD, or URL link. Analog slides are not acceptable. Do not use excessive packaging. Submit the portfolio by mail, accompanied by a Materials Cover Sheet.
9. Interview: After reviewing your complete application packet, the Admission Committee may contact you to arrange an in-person or telephone interview.