Architecture and Lighting Design Dual Degree

Architecture and Lighting Design (MArch + MFA) Dual-Degree Application Instructions

Deadline

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

Applicants for graduate programs must submit complete application packets by January 10 to be considered for admission in the next fall term.

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 a  Materials Cover Sheet (Adobe PDF), with all mailed materials; the cover sheet can also be downloaded from the Supplemental Forms section of the online application.

Although applications to the dual-degree program are reviewed by both the Architecture and the Lighting Design admission committees, you submit only one set of application materials. The Office of Admission will ensure that the complete application packet is made available to both admission committees. In addition to being considered for admission to the Dual-Degree program, your application will be considered for admission to the graduate Architecture and Lighting Design programs separately as well.

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

1. Application Form: 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, instruct the institution to send the transcripts directly to Office of Admission at the address below. Photocopies are not acceptable.
   
   International Transcripts: All applicants with international transcripts must submit an original transcript from each institution attended outside the United States. Additionally, a certified English 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 The New School for Design
   Office of Admission
   Graduate Programs
   72 Fifth Avenue
   New York, NY 10011
   
   If applying for transcript evaluation online, 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 to Parsons yourself along with a Materials Cover Sheet (Adobe PDF).
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 you have. The résumé must be submitted online with the application.
5. Statement of Interest and Intentions: Please outline your reasons for applying to the 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, 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 or 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: Submit two letters of recommendation from faculty members who have taught you or from people with whom you have worked professionally. Your references may submit their recommendations online, or you may forward sealed original letters with your application packet.
7. GRE: If English is your native language, submit your scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and general tests (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing).
8. 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 score required for acceptance to the program is 92 for Internet-based exam, 580 for the paper-based, or 237 for the computer-based. The minimum IELTS score required is a 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 at www.ielts.org.
   
   A GRE or TOEFL score is required for all applicants. International students who are native English speakers, or who received a bachelor's degree from a university where English was the primary language of instruction, or who completed ESL level 6 at The New School, must submit a GRE score in place of TOEFL or IELTS.
9. Portfolio: This must be in bound-book form and no larger than 9" x 12" (A4). It may include drawings and photographs of projects and samples of other artwork. Submit the portfolio by mail accompanied by a Materials Cover Sheet (Adobe PDF, also available in the Supplemental Forms section of the online application). Do not include slides or digital media, and do not use excessive packaging.