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  • Fine Arts MFA

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    Fine Arts MFA 1
    Parsons Festival_MFA Fine Arts

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  • Explore Our Community

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

  • Contact Us

    [email protected] 
    212.229.5150 (U.S. only)

    Program Contacts
    H. Lan Thao Lam, Co-Director
    Lydia Matthews, Co-Director

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  • The MFA Fine Arts program is guided by the belief that artists perform an essential role in society. The program is rigorously interdisciplinary and enables you to develop diverse studio practices while pursuing related scholarship and research. You can explore various modes of study, ranging from formal and aesthetic investigations to social and political engagement. Students come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and work in media including painting, drawing, sculpture, video, performance, digital media, installation, and photography.

    Program Highlights

    • Creative Collaboration

      Engage in collaborative projects with students in other Parsons programs to explore the connections between art, technology, design, and social critique.

    • Inspired Connections

      Interact with artists of varied practices. Recent visitors include Christine Sun Kim, Nicole Eisenman, Carlos Motta, Xu Bing, Mark Dion, Taryn Simon, and Tschabalala Self.

    • Interdisciplinary Perspectives

      Access courses throughout the university, combining your fine arts practice with study of topics such as gender, social science, philosophy, creative writing, and more.

    • NYC Art Capital

      Access exceptional opportunities for artists in New York City, home to roughly 1,500 art galleries, museums, world-class art fairs, and diverse residency programs.

    • Degree Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
    • Format Full-time, on campus
    • Credits 60
    • Duration 2 years

  • Curriculum

    The rigorous curriculum integrates one-on-one studio visits, group critiques, critical theory seminars, personalized classes, and writing and research for studio practice, as well as professional practices seminars. Electives allow you to draw on the resources of additional Parsons programs and the other colleges of The New School, including renowned graduate programs in the social sciences, media studies, and urban studies.

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  • Career Paths

    Graduates are prepared for diverse careers in fields such as fine arts practice; arts administration; curation; museum and gallery management; art criticism; art consulting, and post-secondary art education.

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    Explore Our Community

    Discover what our students, alumni, and faculty are doing in NYC and worldwide.

    amt.parsons.edu/finearts

  • Student Work

    See Our Work

  • Parsons’ Fine Arts faculty are highly regarded artists who exhibit and publish worldwide and whose work has appeared in the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, Documenta, and The Museum of Modern Art. In addition, prominent curators help guide students preparing for their thesis exhibitions.

  • Beyond the Classroom

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      Research Labs

      Research is integral to the Parsons learning experience, and students and faculty work together to challenge existing paradigms and advance emerging scholarship and practice. Explore the thematic research laboratories housed at Parsons and throughout The New School.

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      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.

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      Internships

      New York City’s thriving creative industry and cultural institutions are part of your Parsons education. Our Career Services Office is enmeshed in the art and design industries and can help you advance your career with industry-oriented internships. 

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      Funded Opportunities

      Funds are earmarked for graduate travel, research, and work to support your study. Opportunities include paid teaching assistantships, research fellowships and assistantships (including ones offered throughout The New School), ample student employment, and other grants available to U.S. domestic and international students alike.

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      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.

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    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.