Admission Requirements

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 international transcripts must submit an original transcript from each institution attended outside the United States, along with a certified English language translation. 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 (CV) listing relevant work experience, travel, exhibitions, etc., including dates and positions held. The resume must be submitted online.
5. Statement of Interest and Intentions: The Design and Technology MFA program addresses a variety of fields, including interaction (web and kiosk/museum design), gaming, mobile applications, physical computation (chip-driven installation experience and object design), digital music, digital film (narrative and documentary), motion graphics, and animation. Visit Thesis Symposium 2011 for examples of our students’ projects.
   
   In an essay of two to three pages, discuss your reasons for applying to this to this program, your area(s) of interest and potential projects, and your goals for postgraduate contributions to your field of study. The essay must be submitted online.
   
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: If English is not your native language, submit results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The minimum score required for consideration is 580 for the paper-based, 237 for the computer-based, or 92 for the Internet-based exam. Students required to take the TOEFL can obtain further information from the Educational Testing Service site.
8. Portfolio: Your portfolio should be a visual and narrative reflection of the work listed and described on your resume 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 make the case for why you are a good fit for the Design and Technology program.
   
   Submit your portfolio via a URL link, which you must be prepared to provide as part of your online application. When you submit the application, the linked page must display all the artwork you are including in your portfolio. Please hand-code your site or use Wordpress or an online portfolio tool as a shell for your portfolio. Hard copy portfolios will NOT be accepted.
9. Interviews: If you are accepted to the program, you will be required to schedule a telephone or in-person interview with the director or a full time faculty member of the MFA DT program. Foreign students should make themselves available for an online interview via Skype at a mutually agreed upon time.