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Curriculum

The Master of Arts degree is awarded for completion of 42 credits, including a master's thesis. A maximum of six credits of graduate-level coursework may be transferred from another institution. Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and fulfill all requirements in a timely manner.

Uniquely located in the progressive learning environment of Parsons School of Design and The New School, students have access to elective courses across design studies, the humanities and social sciences, so they can tailor their study program to individual research interests and goals.

The MA Fashion Studies program offers two pathways, in fashion curation and fashion writing, enabling students to gain a deeper knowledge of fashion curation and archival practice or fashion writing through a series of electives offered by the program and throughout The New School.

Students also have the opportunity to spend a second-year semester in the Fashion Studies MA program at Parsons Paris, where they have direct access to some of the most prominent fashion and textiles collections in France through the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Palais Galliera, and the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation.

Interested students can also explore paths throughout the university by completing the Graduate Certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies, designed to promote intellectual collaboration on issues of gender and sexuality in a variety of disciplines. 

For a complete listing of courses and course descriptions, visit the university course catalog.

First Year Fall
PGFS 5000 Fashion Studies: Key Concepts3
PGFS 5010 Fashion, History, and Mediation3
6
Subtotal12
First Year Spring
PGFS 5020 Interpreting Fashion3
PGFS 5030/5031 Fashion Cultures: Lec/Rec3
6
Subtotal12
Second Year Fall
PGFS 5200 Advanced Thesis Preparation3
6
Subtotal9
Second Year Spring
PGFS 5210 Thesis6
3
Non-Course Requirement - Thesis3
Subtotal9
Total Credits
42

Graduate Minors

Students can use elective courses toward completing one of the university’s graduate minors. These structured pathways of study immerse master's and doctoral students in disciplines outside their primary field and expose them to alternative modes of research and practice. Completed graduate minors are officially recorded on students' transcript.

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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.