Parsons - Layout Settings

Communication Design MPS

Hero Media Image

Explore Our Community

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

Contact Us

thinkparsonsgrad@newschool.edu 
212.229.5150 (U.S. only)

Program Contacts
Andrew LeClair, Director

In an increasingly digital world, designers are often challenged to create technology-driven products and services for a variety of platforms and human needs. The master’s program in Communication Design, with a concentration in Digital Product Design, offers you the cutting-edge conceptual and strategic design methods you need to meet this growing marketplace demand. This specialized course of study provides coding experience and involves a range of collaboration and teamwork strategies.

Program Highlights

  • Design for the Digital Age
    Explore the full product development cycle—from idea conception and pitching to prototyping to post-launch analyses of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI).
  • Sophisticated Strategies
    Learn to develop creative problem-solving strategies for relaying messages, information, and ideas by integrating design thinking, aesthetics, and technology.
  • Coding and Collaboration
    Develop competence in industry-standard technologies and gain experience navigating partnerships with teams and clients.
  • NYC Innovation Economy
    Be part of New York City’s growing tech and start-up sector, where the Internet, mobile technologies, social media, and Big Data are expanding resources and opportunities.
  • Applicant Profile
    The program is tailored to designers who have an existing design practice in graphic and visual communications and are seeking to develop specialized skills in digital product design.
  • DegreeMaster of Professional Studies (MPS)
  • FormatFull-time, on campus
  • Credits30
  • Duration1 year
  • Other program statusSTEM-designated

Curriculum

The full-time course of study is built on four components: instruction in advanced core design competencies; practices and methods courses; external partnerships, and the core studio sequence. You explore innovative composition and visualization methods, interaction design, typography, and industry best practices.

Learn more

Career Paths

Graduates of the MPS Communication Design program develop their own unique, forward-looking aesthetic anchored in professional skills that include entrepreneurship, strategic working methodologies, and contemporary prototyping. Some pursue careers in interaction design, user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) design, digital product design, and product management at start-ups and tech giants and in digital transformation teams in publishing and cultural institutions like MoMA and the New York Times. Others have pursued advanced degrees in the fields of design and human–computer interaction.

Explore Our Community

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

mpscd.parsons.edu

Student Work

Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, Design Thinking, Interaction Design, Interface Design Communication Design (MPS)
Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, Typography, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Mobile Media, Web Design Communication Design (MPS)
Branding, Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Web Design Communication Design (MPS)
Creative Technologies, Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Mobile Media Communication Design (MPS)
Graphic Design, Illustration, Product Design, Interface Design Communication Design (MPS)
Creative Technologies, Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Mobile Media Communication Design (MPS)
Media Block Image
Parsons faculty represent a broad range of expertise and are acknowledged as leading practitioners and scholars in their fields.
Learn more

Beyond the Classroom

  • Research Labs

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

  • Communication Design (AAS)

    Full-time or part-time program (two years, 60 credits); best suited to students who have previous college experience in an unrelated field and want to change careers.

Program News

Take The Next Step

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.