• Art and Design History and Theory

    Art and Design History and Theory - Hero
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  • Contact Us

    [email protected]
    212.229.5150

    Program Contact
    Rory O'Dea, Dean and Associate Professor of Contemporary Art and Design

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  • The School of Art and Design History and Theory (ADHT) offers a comprehensive array of courses in design studies, fashion studies, media/visual culture studies, spatial design studies, design/art - history and criticism, writing, and research methods. A number of these courses form part of the core curriculum for all Parsons undergraduate students. The school also offers electives and University Lecture courses that are open to undergraduate students in all colleges of The New School. 

    Courses at ADHT educate Parsons and New School students in visual literacy, research methods, writing skills, and critical analysis, and provide them with a systematic understanding of how design, art, and visual culture operate in various geographical and historical contexts. This helps students develop the intellectual rigor necessary to become the next generation of professionals in the creative industries. Using multidisciplinary approaches, students learn to frame questions about the meaning, function, and critical and creative potential of design and art, and to consider problems from multiple perspectives.

  • Highlights

    New York City Connections

    Draw on the resources of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and other cultural institutions that make NYC a global design and art destination.

    Subject Areas

    Explore courses in a variety of areas such as art and design histories, design studies, fashion studies, spatial design studies, media and visual culture studies.

  • Curriculum

    The curriculum includes courses for ADHT students in the BFA Design History and Practice, the MA Fashion Studies, and the MA History of Design and Curatorial Studies programs as well as required core courses for all Parsons students from freshman to senior year, as required by their degree program. The curriculum also offers a broad range of electives which cover a multitude of subject areas. Students can pursue subject area interests through their choice of elective courses.

    Required Courses

    Elective Courses

  • Art and Design History and Theory faculty offer a broad range of expertise and are leading practitioners and scholars in their fields, which include art and design history and theory, aesthetics, criticism, curatorial studies, and visual and material culture. 

  • Take The Next Step

Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

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