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About
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For more than a century, Parsons has been inspired by the transformative potential of design. Today, the school’s groundbreaking academic programs carry forward that mission, making Parsons the number one U.S. design school and top ranked globally. Our programs deliver a uniquely interdisciplinary education enriched by the resources of New York City.
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Academics
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Parsons offers rigorous interdisciplinary programs across the spectrum of art and design, from fashion and technology to urban design, fine art, and management. Here, creators and scholars master established disciplines and develop emerging ones, fostering innovation that transforms business, advances sustainability, and enhances social impact and health.
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Faculty
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Parsons faculty comprises world-renowned artists, scholars, and practitioners who lead their industries and academic fields. You work closely with them, benefitting from their scholarship and professional experience and networks. Our small class sizes enable you to benefit from their real-world experience and industry access.
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Our Work
Overview
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Parsons re:D
Beautiful, provocative, transformative, and boundary-breaking: The creative outpouring of Parsons’ students and faculty is as diverse as our community itself. Uniting it all is a commitment to reflective process and the understanding of the power of art and design to bring about needed change in the world.
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Student Life
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Our school is animated by progressive creativity, activism, and its setting within a dynamic urban environment and university. Parsons is where ambition, ingenuity, and collaboration tirelessly converge, and New York City is the ideal setting for starting your journey.
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After Parsons
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At Parsons, your career begins your first day on campus. Here, you gain the creative and critical foundation you need to turn passions into a professional life of your own design. With your toolkit of hands-on, collaborative methods and global support network, you enter prepared for sustained success in your field or in advanced studies.
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Admissions and Aid
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Parsons welcomes applicants who seek a rigorous education in an environment where creativity, critical thinking, and global perspectives thrive together. If you are ready to take first steps toward your creative education and career, you have come to the right place. Learn more about visiting, applying to, and attending our school.
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Faculty

Joan Duncan

Part-time Assistant Professor

Email
duncanj@newschool.edu

Office Location
A - 66 West 12th Street

Joan Duncan

Profile

Joan Duncan has an expansive apparel career background, spanning 30 years. She has spearheaded new divisions, resuscitated operations & directed teams of designers, CAD artists & technical designers. She prides herself in incorporating "left brain" mentalities with design capabilities. Joan has traveled the world for both inspiration and trouble-shooting. Her career has taken her to China, India, the Middle East and all of Europe & beyond.

Joan donates her time to nurturing & mentoring students. The students appreciate her stories of travel, problem solving and managing personnel. The students voted Joan best instructor of 2013.

Joan has a Bachelor of Science degree from Post university, along with an Associates degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Joan is a frequent guest speaker at many fashion organizations, such as: Damsels in Design, Fashion Camp NYC & Parsons School of Design.

Joan has developed course material for Parson School of Design, including Fashion Entrepreneurship.

Joan is one of the few instructors who have taught across all departments: BFA, AAS, CE & the Summer INtensive Sessions.

Degrees Held

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE/ POST UNIVERSITY

ASSOCIATES DEGREE IN MERCHANDISING/ FIT

Current Courses

Fashion Bus & Entrepreneurship
PSOF 1031 - Fall 2026

Future Courses

Fashion Bus & Entrepreneurship
PSOF 1031 - Spring 2027

Past Courses

Fashion Bus & Entrepreneurship
PSOF 1031 - Spring 2026

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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.