Program Highlights

• Transdisciplinary

  Rooted in the Latin word trans, meaning "across and beyond," the program emphasizes transdisciplinarity as a way of connecting conceptual thinking and aesthetic, material, narrative, and situated forms of inquiry. Students find the freedom to create new forms of knowing and expression.

• Situated Ethos

  Develop practices that are attentive to context, grounded in lived experience, and responsive to the conditions in which they operate. The program leads students in approaches that cultivate accountability, attentiveness, and situated forms of engagement rather than transactional or hierarchical models.

• Opportunities for Research and Teaching

  Engage with initiatives through The New School's Consortium for Transdisciplinarity  and other centers, institutes, and labs throughout the university.

• External Guests

  Learn from prominent creative practitioners, scholars, activists, and industry and government leaders who contribute to the program's rich, dynamic learning environment.

• Expanding Practices and Careers

  The program supports students in developing their practice, using it to explore complex concerns, generate new understanding, and engage thoughtfully with present-day situations. Graduates pursue pathways shaped by their own interests and values.

• Applicant Profile

  This MFA is designed for self-directed practitioners who are already engaged in a creative or research-based practice and want to expand or transform it through experiential and experimental inquiry. Applicants come from the arts, design, humanities, social sciences, activism, community engagement, media, policy, and other fields where research and expression intersect. Prior art or design training is not required but students should have a practice they are committed to developing. Because the program does not provide technical instruction in a single discipline, we look for applicants who are prepared to guide their own practice-based research and explore approaches to writing, media, material, and performance- and social engagement–based forms.