The MFA in Design and Technology is part of the School of Art, Media, and Technology (AMT), which is also home to the Communication Design, Fine Arts, Photography, and Illustration programs. As communication technologies evolve and become increasingly sophisticated, the disciplines in AMT continue to mesh, enabling the school to flexibly address social problems and needs through art and design.
Students in AMT programs take part in Collaboration Studios, where they work with outside nonprofits and industry partners. They also team up with students from other Parsons schools and from programs throughout The New School, including graduate programs in the social sciences, urban studies, and media studies.
The breadth of design and technology talent in the city makes New York an ideal resource for those involved in emerging fields that unite communication with mobile, interactive digital platforms. A pioneer in new media, Parsons has developed a rich network among the industry’s vanguard, from which the school draws its faculty and external partners. Visits to industry leaders like R/GA Interactive, Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, and Curious Pictures bring students into contact with innovators who can supply tools, training, and internships to help them shape the shifting media landscape.
Parsons’ relationships with corporate, governmental, educational, and nonprofit organizations help provide a technically current and socially relevant working environment for students. Industry and institutional partners include AIGA, Apple, Atari, Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian, Creative Time, Curious Pictures, Estée Lauder, Eyebeam, Fossil, gameLab, Human Rights Watch, Microsoft, MTV, NASA, the New Museum, the Open Society Institute, R/GA, Samsung, Siemens, SensAble Technologies, UNESCO, UNICEF, Vespa, and the Whitney Museum of Art.
Research institutes help Parsons maintain its leading position in the field and provide important learning opportunities.
