The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is awarded for completion of 120 credits as designated by the program. A maximum of 60 credits may be transferred from another institution. Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and fulfill all requirements in a
timely manner.
Your BFA begins with Parsons’ first-year curriculum, which serves as the first-year course of study for all undergraduate programs at Parsons. The first year immerses you in an exploration of art and design concepts,
skills, and critical practices, training students to become flexible thinkers, proficient makers, and lifelong learners.
To guide students as they create their own study pathway, the IDP program offers a series of studio courses designed to develop the abilities needed to work across disciplines, types of projects, sets of skills, and kinds of communities (users, audiences,
industries, and other stakeholders). These courses introduce students to diverse methodologies in a range of media to help them tackle contemporary challenges in their studies and after college.
Like other undergraduates, IDP students take prerequisite courses that build toward advanced classes in a given discipline. Accordingly, we encourage students to complete prerequisites during their sophomore year. Although many Parsons courses are open to students of all majors, some classes have restrictions, especially those that depend on specific facilities.
Throughout your studies, art and design history and theory courses develop essential research, writing, and critical reasoning skills as well as the conceptual foundations for creative inquiry.
In collaboration with faculty and assigned advisors, IDP students select from a set of approved electives to design a pathway and map out an integrative learning experience. Advisors help students understand and address the expectations of their study
pathway. (NOTE: All IDP students are expected to plan ahead by identifying prerequisites relevant to their learning objectives and pathways for their three years of study in the IDP program.)
Parsons’ position within a major university—The New School—informs our interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and practice. University electives broaden your skills and perspectives with a wide range of liberal arts courses in the humanities, the
social sciences, media studies, and business.
In their senior year, IDP students undertake a two-part capstone course. In the fall semester, students are guided through a process that brings together research and rapid prototyping. In the spring semester, students refine their project, fabricate
it, and package it. The format for showcasing seniors’ work varies from year to year.
To view degree requirements from prior years, visit the Academic Catalogs archive
For a complete listing of courses and course descriptions, visit the university course catalog.