Accessories Design, Creative Technologies, Fabrication, Fashion, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Sustainable Design, Textiles, Decorative Arts, Ecosystems/Environmental Systems, Systems Textiles (MFA)
Textiles MFA
Take the Next Step
Contact Us
thinkparsonsgrad@newschool.edu
212.229.5150 (U.S. only)
Program Contacts
Soojin Kang, Program Director
Allison Broder, Program Administrator
Related Links
Parsons' MFA Textiles program is a dynamic hub of creativity in New York, where our multicultural, cross-disciplinary community of makers and designers engages in a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives through hands-on textiles making. Promoting authenticity, originality, and innovation, we channel the power of textiles to transform art, design, and industry and raise awareness on a range of issues. In our research and textiles practices, we blur the boundaries between craft and high-tech and address sustainability, justice, well-being, and beauty in the world through our work.
Program Highlights
Creative Craft
Learn and apply techniques such as fiber development, yarn sourcing and making, weaving, knitting, 3D printing, sustainable dyeing, pattern design, and embellishments.Meaning and Making
Develop a critical understanding of textiles’ sociocultural, environmental, and emotional dimensions throughout human history and into the future.Industry Access
Refine your aesthetic sensibilities and understanding of sustainable practices while deepening your collaborative and conceptual abilities on-site in NYC textile studios and design ateliers.Cross-Disciplinary Coursework
Gain exposure to business best practices and insights from fields including art, architecture, and interior and industrial design, as well as fashion and autonomous design.Individualized Mentorship
Receive mentorship that fosters and draws forth your creativity and enables you to realize your unique identity while receiving technical, conceptual, and personalized guidance.Applicant Profile
The program welcomes students with backgrounds in textile making and research and from related fields including fashion, interior and product design, fine arts, and architecture.
- DegreeMaster of Fine Arts (MFA)
- FormatFull-time, on campus
- Credits60
- Duration2 years
Curriculum
The rigorous studio-based curriculum spans foundational textile knowledge, exploratory textile making, and critical, scholarly approaches to textiles. Our approach allows you to develop your authenticity, originality, and unique creativity in the field of textiles, helping you find your own voice and realize your potential as a professional textile maker. While valuing humanity and the environment through conscious making and innovation, you learn to harness the power of textiles to raise awareness and transform art and industry.
Career Paths
Graduates are prepared to take on roles ranging from textile design for fashion, interiors, and theater to ubiquitous computing, automotive design, acoustic design, healthcare, and consulting. They explore opportunities to reimagine textile production and design businesses, lend studio skills to companies, launch a business as an independent designer, fiber artist, or pursue advanced studies.
New York Textile Month
New York Textile Month (NYTM) is an annual September celebration of textile culture in New York that was initiated by visionary trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort along with the establishment of the MFA Textiles program at Parsons. NYTM highlights innovation, collaboration, and community-based approaches in the textile world through events that bring together textile artists, craftspeople, industry experts, and the
public. NYTM events include workshops, lectures, and exhibitions that offer MFA Textiles students opportunities to connect with a broad network of artists and designers, galleries, showrooms, ateliers, collectors, and industry professionals.
Explore Our Community
Discover what our students, alumni, and faculty are doing in NYC and worldwide.
Student Work
Design, Spatial Design, Textiles, Decorative Arts Textiles (MFA)
Design, Design Research, Fine Arts, Performance, Photography, Sustainable Design, Textiles, Visual Arts, Visual Culture, Design Thinking, Ecosystems/Environmental Systems, Furniture Design, New Genres, Systems Textiles (MFA)
Creative Technologies, Curatorial Practice, Design, Design Research, Exhibition Design, Fashion, Fine Arts, Integrative Fashion, Performance, Photography, Spatial Design, Sustainable Design, Textiles, Visual Arts, Visual Culture, Writing Fundamentals, Ecosystems/Environmental Systems, Furniture Design, Systems, Theory Textiles (MFA)
Design, Fine Arts, Interior Design, Sustainable Design, Textiles, Systems Textiles (MFA)
Textiles Textiles (MFA)
Textiles faculty represent a broad range of expertise and are acknowledged as leading practitioners and scholars in their fields. They are committed to developing the next generation of textile designers and innovating new approaches to textile production — keeping in mind issues of sustainability, health, emotional wellbeing, and socio-cultural responsibility.
Beyond the Classroom
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Related Programs
Graduate Degrees
Graduate Minors
