MFA in Interior Design

A bachelor's degree from an accredited American college or university or an equivalent degree from a college or university outside of the United States.

Applicants must upload an unofficial transcript, mark sheet, or academic record for each institution (even if you didn’t receive a degree) in the Academic History section of the online application.

Two letters of recommendation from professional and/or academic references are required. Recommendations must be submitted by recommenders directly via the online application portal. Instructions are included in the online application.

Portfolio: Applicants must submit a portfolio through the Portfolio section of the online application. Prepare a portfolio sequence of 10 to 15 images that best communicate your creative skills, thinking, and experience. The purpose of the portfolio is to show your individual perspective and creative skills. Include work that best demonstrates the breadth of your skills and creative process from previous educational and/or professional experience.

Submit a one to two-page résumé/curriculum vitae summarizing your academic qualifications, relevant work experience, published writing, volunteer/community work, professional networking, public speaking, and/or any other relevant experiences that may relate to your field of study, including dates and positions held. Please also note any special language or computer skills that you have.

Design as a social practice is the Parsons MFA Interior Design program’s guiding philosophy. Students explore design as a force for change, a means of environmental stewardship, and a tool for shaping experiences. Choose a prompt from the list below. (500–750-word limit)* 1) Interiority Interiority has been defined as the quality of being interior or inward, bound to an inner life and experience. Alternatively, we may reframe the interior as a mediation between public and private, outside and inside, local and global contexts. Design elements such as objects, screens, apertures, and ephemeral elements such as curtains allow for separation from, while maintaining dialogue with the outside world. As part of this program, you will define the Interior from your own research and diverse backgrounds. Your own experience and culture brings a unique voice into the program that adds new knowledge. What are the ways in which you define the Interior from your own lived experience? What are design elements that create this experience? or 2. Social and environmental justice As we rethink the norms of how we practice Interior Design and rethink our built environment through the lens of equity, inclusion and social and environmental responsibility, where do you see Interior Design as an agent for change? What do you see as the role and our duty as designers at this critical moment? What research interests are you coming to the program with? How does the New School provide you with the opportunity to support this research?