Since 1919, The New School has been a center for discussion and instruction for focused and experienced learners. It began offering a bachelor’s degree program for returning veterans and other adults in the 1940s and continues this rich tradition today. Our forward-looking university is composed of extraordinary schools and colleges, where students across disciplines find the support they need to be a force of collaboration, innovation, and cross-cultural expression.
Whatever path you’ve taken to college, The New School values your prior experience and gives you the freedom to design a degree that matches your goals. We welcome you and invite you to work with us to tailor your studies, access the resources of a university in the heart of New York City, and receive support and guidance from a faculty advisor every step of the way. Your advisor works with you throughout your studies to map out a purposeful, manageable, and affordable plan for finishing your degree and pursuing your professional goals.
“I thought I would take food studies and photography courses to develop my food styling business. Instead, my courses led me to a totally different career path, focusing on food as a vehicle for social justice.”
—Francisca Sanhueza, BS Food Studies
Francisca Sanhueza worked for a fruit export company and as a food stylist and graduated from culinary school in her native Chile. She says, “Food is my life.”
The pathway to a degree that fits into your busy schedule:
• Transfer up to 70 percent of your degree requirements (up to 84 credits) from prior college coursework or other college-level learning.
• Take advantage of our Credit for Prior Learning program and earn up to 30 credits for the college-level learning you’ve gained through your professional, military, creative, and life experience and knowledge of foreign languages.
• Study part-time or full-time, in the daytime or evenings, with the option of completing your degree partially or entirely online.
• Design your own course of study through our Liberal Arts major by selecting from more than 25 subject areas, or choose one of our other nine majors: Creative Writing, Environmental Studies, Food Studies, Global Studies, Management, Media Studies, Psychology, Urban Studies, or Musical Theatre.
• Collaborate with your core faculty advisor to achieve your academic and career goals, from the first day of classes through graduation and beyond.
• Expand your work experience at a campus research center through our Public Engagement Fellowship Program or in a credit-based internship.
• Start a master’s while completing your bachelor’s degree by enrolling in a BA/MA program and save both time and money (apply up to 18 credits to both degrees).
“ The life experience I brought to The New School improved my education— and I think it added to the classroom. The program made me a better student, a better researcher, and a better writer.”
—Ted Kerr, BA Liberal Arts
Ted Kerr, a writer, artist, and activist from Canada, was a student in the Riggio Honors Program: Writing & Democracy. His internship at Visual AIDS in New York City led to a full-time position there.
Majors
You can choose to design your degree program through the Liberal Arts major (BA or BS) or choose another from the complete list shown below. Whatever degree path you choose, you can incorporate your unique experiences, skills, and goals into your studies.
Creative Writing BA
Environmental Studies ¹ BA
Food Studies ¹ AAS, BA, BS
Global Studies BA
Liberal Arts ¹ BA, BS (self-designed)
Management, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship ¹ BA, BS
Media Studies ¹ BA, BS
Musical Theatre BFA (AMDA Integrated graduates only)
Psychology BA
Urban Studies ¹ BA
FInancial Aid
Your prior experience can make your path to graduation faster and more affordable. Financial assistance—including an Adult Completion Tuition Scholarship for all new students—is available in a variety of forms for fulltime, part-time, online, and international students in the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students. Take the next step at newschool.edu/ bachelors-program.
100% of Adult Bachelor’s Program students received institutional financial aid²
1 *This course of study can be completed on campus or online.
2 2024 data.
