Interior Design (BFA)
Interior Design BFA
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Contact Us
thinkparsons@newschool.edu
212.229.5150
Program Contact
Carly Cannell, Program Director
Modern American interior design was invented in the early 1900s by Frank Alvah Parsons, and it has evolved at Parsons as a socially engaged practice. Today the research-based, design-intensive BFA Interior Design program prepares you to create comfortable, imaginative, healthful, and intelligently designed interiors. You learn to design interior environments that reflect an understanding of environmental sustainability, cultural differences, and the human need for comfort and well-being.
Program Highlights
Interiors with Impact
Go beyond aesthetics to consider how interior design connects to human and ecological conditions and influences complex relationships, from the public to the personal.In-Demand Technologies
Develop new design approaches using traditional fabrication methods as well as emerging technologies, such as bio-based materials and virtual and augmented reality.Industry Connections
Join a top-ranked program with access to globally influential interior design firms, showrooms, museums, and auction houses throughout New York City.Creative Collaboration
Share shops and studio spaces with students from the Architecture, Fine Arts, Product Design, and Lighting Design programs, fostering interdisciplinary work.
- DegreeBachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
- FormatFull-time, on campus
- Credits120
- Duration4 years
Curriculum
Your BFA begins with Parsons’ first-year curriculum, which serves as the academic foundation for all undergraduate programs at Parsons. From your second year on, you dive into courses in your major field of study. Art and design history and theory courses develop your research, writing, and critical reasoning skills, and university electives broaden your perspectives.
Making Center
The Making Center, a spacious studio bringing together creative tools from around the university, offers students unprecedented opportunities to acquire industry-ready skills, transform how products are made, and upend conventional notions of supply chains, local production, mass customization, and craft.
Parsons faculty represent a broad range of expertise and are acknowledged as leading practitioners and scholars in their fields, ranging from installation art, furniture and textile design, to commercial and residential interior design and architecture.
Student Work
Interior Design (BFA)
Interior Design (BFA)
Interior Design Interior Design (BFA)
Interior Design (BFA)
Interior Design (BFA)
Beyond the Classroom
Internships
New York City’s thriving creative industry and cultural institutions are part of your Parsons education. Our Career Services Office is deeply connected to the art and design industries and can help you advance your career with industry-oriented internships.
Making & Academic Resources
Enjoy access to extensive resources including New School libraries, computer labs, archives, and studios, along with Parsons’ state-of-the-art Making Center, facilities offering a broad array of tools to support your creative and academic growth.
Industry Engagement
Connect to the organizations, businesses, and entrepreneurs driving global creativity and commerce. In classes, internships, and extracurricular projects, you gain marketable problem-solving skills in sectors ranging from government and nonprofits to tech and creative industries.
Study Abroad
Enrich your learning and prepare for work in global contexts with study abroad that exposes you to new perspectives and settings in which to apply your creativity. Our study abroad destinations include, Paris, London, Florence, and more.
Related Programs
Undergraduate
Explore sample opportunities to create an interdisciplinary path of study around this major:
Graduate
Interior Design (AAS)
Full-time or part-time program (two years, 60 credits); best suited to students who have previous college experience in an unrelated field and want to change careers.
