Parson Paris - Layout Settings

First-Year Study

Hero Media Image

Take the Next Step

Explore Our Community

What our students, alumni, and faculty are doing in Paris and worldwide

Contact Us

Related Links

Social

Your first year at Parsons Paris is a period of interdisciplinary exploration that prepares you to thrive in a rapidly evolving creative landscape. Immerse yourself in a broad range of art and design concepts, skills, and critical practices to become a flexible thinker, proficient maker, and bold experimenter. The curriculum serves as the first-year course of study for all bachelor's degree programs at Parsons Paris and provides a strong and versatile foundation for your creative and intellectual development.

Program Highlights

  • Framework for Success
    Gain broadly relevant art and design concepts, tools, and methods—including 2D and 3D processes, drawing, and digital design—along with liberal arts capacities and insights to explore your passions and undertake a range of projects.
  • Applied Design Thinking
    Develop design thinking skills across art, design, fashion and theory, and build a solid foundation to become socially engaged designers using Tech Lab facilities to experiment and prototype.
  • Shared Learning
    Study art, design, and strategic processes with fellow international students in small classes where collaboration and shared learning, experimentation, and disciplinary and cultural cross-pollination are nurtured.
  • Paris As a Lab
    Immerse yourself in Paris’ unique blend of heritage and innovation, which results from the city’s many art centers, fashion houses, and other resources along with its celebrated cosmopolitan lifestyle, culture, and language. 
  • Future Success
    Keep your professional options open by exploring outside of traditional disciplines. Classes in the first year bring everyone together to develop creativity and problem-solving skills across fields.
  • Professional Resources
    Learn from academics and professionals who actively contribute to the Parisian and international scenes. Benefit from Career Development and the Parsons Paris community to intern and discover new opportunities in art, fashion, and strategic design.

Curriculum

The first-year curriculum provides a common experience for all incoming Parsons Paris students, focusing on critically engaged approaches to art, design, and strategic thinking. Art, Media & Technology BFA and Fashion Design BFA students complete the same set of core courses, except for one Program Elective studio tailored for their specific needs. BBA students in Strategic Design and Management follow a similar curriculum that is supplemented by several management-related courses. In addition, all students take intensive creative workshops that help them acquire technical skills in preparation for their sophomore year.

Learn more

Faculty

Media Block Image
Parsons Paris faculty represent a broad range of expertise and are acknowledged as leading practitioners and scholars in their fields.
Learn more

Student Work

Our Community

Take The Next Step

Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy

The New School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.