Design is a driving force in the transformation of global culture, shaping everything from the garments we wear to the ways we engage with the world. For you it is a means of bringing to life the world you envision.
Since 1921, Parsons Paris has offered students an opportunity to benefit from Parsons’ acclaimed curriculum while experiencing Paris’ legendary creative culture. Now more than ever, Paris serves as a gateway to Europe’s diverse cultural, academic, and innovation-focused resources. And Parsons—regularly ranked among the best schools for art and design in the United States and worldwide—offers you the space to explore, investigate, and shape the future in critical and creatively innovative ways. And because Parsons Paris is part of The New School, an intellectually progressive university based in New York City and active around the world, your path to a U.S. degree is multidimensional and collaborative.
EXPERIENCE A PLATFORM FOR MAKING CHANGE
Your dedication to design, culture, and innovation has brought you here, to one of the world’s centers of creativity. You’re ready to hone your craft and elevate your practice at a moment when the world is turning to design to create a better future. Take the next step in a place steeped in European heritage, with a university acclaimed for its art and design methodology. Ours is a space designed for critical inquiry, creative work, and experimentation that defy convention in the search for solutions to today’s urgent challenges.
“ When you join our campus, you become a member of an international community of excellence. Here you will be encouraged to think globally in a local context. Parsons Paris and the city are a laboratory where you can actively participate in projects with prestigious industry partners and learn across disciplines in a seamless manner in and outside of the classroom.”
—Florence Leclerc , dean of Parsons Paris
#1
art and design school in the United States and #3 worldwide.¹
PARIS AND NYC: LINKED BY DESIGN
Parsons Paris is an American design school located in the center of Paris. Our celebrated approach to education brings together disciplines to cultivate the design-led problem solvers the world needs today. As a New School student, you benefit from the resources of an internationally recognized university committed to scholarship and social justice. Together the two cities give you unequaled opportunities for learning and launching a creative life in settings around the world.
“It feels like a real studio setting where you can do what you’re interested in. If you need help, the professor is always there to give you guidance.”
—Demir Ramazanov, BFA Art, Media, and Technology student
CONNECT AND COLLABORATE
Parsons Paris’ intimate environment fosters creative collaboration and offers you a community to last a lifetime. In small classes taught in English, you work closely with students, faculty, and partnering artists from all programs, who share expertise and networks to advance one another’s learning. And our newest learning center in Greater Paris—Paris-Romainville—offers you ample space in which to collaborate with peers.
MAKE PARIS YOUR STUDIO
Paris, consistently voted one of the best international cities in which to study, is home to cultural resources and artisanal traditions found nowhere else. A diverse urban center, it attracts talent from around the world—and offers a host of new perspectives to inspire and challenge you. Studying at Parsons Paris takes you out of the classroom and into the city, where you strengthen your studio skills and French language abilities as you develop your own global network.
BECOME A DESIGNER WHO THINKS LIKE AN INNOVATOR
At Parsons Paris, you’re part of a community of fearless thinkers, makers, and curators forging new creative practices at the intersection of artisanal culture, urban environments, sustainability, the sharing economy, and curatorial practice. You learn to integrate critical thinking and studio skills and come to understand the value of design—and your own talents—in the global creative economy. Meet some students from our community: newschool.edu/paris-students .
ACADEMICS
Undergraduate Programs
Art, Media, and Technology BFA
Fashion Design BFA
Strategic Design and Management BBA
Graduate Programs
Fashion Design and the Arts MFA
Fashion Studies MA
Your First Year of Undergraduate Study
Our first-year curriculum introduces you to Parsons’ distinctive educational methodology. You explore a range of approaches to art and design and employ liberal arts tools, including analytical writing, to reflect on your work. In studio classes, you acquire the making skills you need to bring your ideas to life. And in seminars, you exercise your conceptual and critical thinking abilities to frame problems, develop solutions, and express your point of view. The course of study is carefully tailored to prepare you for your undergraduate major and acquaint you with interdisciplinary practice.
Minors
Minors broaden your skills and enrich your studies. Both the Fashion Studies and the Creative Entrepreneurship minors can be completed in Paris.
“ The first year at Parsons Paris is very hands-on and eye-opening. All year long, we develop our ideas and passions. We experiment, discover new things, and, most important, create, share, and get feedback on our work.”
leva Lygnugaryte, BFA Art, Media, and Technology student
ART, MEDIA, AND TECHNOLOGY BFA
Explore the dynamic intersection of art, design, media, and technology in this interdisciplinary program.
As an emerging art and design thinker and practitioner, you develop multidisciplinary creative work that is grounded in a social and political context. You learn to use art and design tools with a critical, interpretive, and transformative perspective.
You undertake studio projects involving ideation, research, writing, and prototyping in a variety of media. In studio and liberal arts courses, you explore innovative approaches that inform new interdisciplinary and collaborative areas of art, media, and technology.
The BFA in Art, Media, and Technology is offered only at the Parsons Paris campus and provides you with access to Parisian cultural institutions and resources. In year three, you can spend a semester or a year in a related major at our New York City campus or at partner institutions around the world.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art, Media, and Technology is a four-year program.
newschool.edu/parsons-paris/amt
“In the BFA Art, Media, and Technology program, professors are active practitioners. They know us well and push us to incorporate our individual passions into our projects. Technology is a tool enabling us to explore our ideas and to make them reality.”
Mayomi Basnayaka, BFA Art, Media, and Technology student
FASHION DESIGN BFA
Immerse yourself in the rich heritage and culture of Europe’s fashion capital through a program that emphasizes diversity, social justice, and sustainability in the creation of fashion.
Paris’ exceptional range of historic and contemporary fashion houses and brands makes the city a unique laboratory for fashion design. Experience Paris’ celebrated handcraft traditions while mastering cutting-edge design methods developed on the New York City and Paris campuses and employed by five generations of leading designers.
At Parsons Paris, you acquire and apply the critical knowledge and skills needed to develop your own creative voice and become a leader in the international design industry. With mentorship by experts, you gain hands-on experience at the crossroads of innovation and craftsmanship through studio projects, technical and theoretical courses, and collaborations with leading high-end fashion houses and emerging brands. You also collaborate with students from other programs to become a new force in contemporary fashion.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design is a four-year program offered in both Paris and New York City.
Chris Benz
Tom Ford
Emily Adams Bode Aujla
Marc Jacobs
Carly Cushnie
Donna Karan
Jason Wu NOTABLE PARSONS FASHION DESIGN ALUMNI
newschool.edu/parsons-paris/fd
Proenza Schouler (Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough)
Tracy Reese
Narciso Rodriguez
Anna Sui
“My Parsons Paris experience was amazing. I didn’t even consider any other options for college.”
Petra Fagerström, BFA Fashion Design ’23
STRATEGIC DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT BBA
Integrate forward-looking business practices, strategy, design, and liberal arts learning through project-based studio and seminar courses that prepare you for entrepreneurial and management positions in the creative economy.
At Parsons Paris, you acquire design-driven analytical, communication, collaborative, and management skills in the context of fashion and luxury. You learn how to develop sustainable business models that address the social and environmental challenges facing creative industries today.
Paris, home to the world’s leading fashion houses, heritage brands, art institutions, and cultural organizations, serves as your living laboratory. The design-focused problem-solving skills you develop here can be applied in a range of industries around the world. And Parsons Paris’ intimate setting enables you to deepen your collaborative abilities and understanding of strategy by working on projects directly with students from other programs.
Industry-led projects allow you to develop a broad understanding of organizational structures and strategy while learning to devise solutions that reflect sustainable practices and promote social values.
The Bachelor of Business Administration in Strategic Design and Management is a four-year program offered in both Paris and New York City.
newschool.edu/parsons-paris/sdm
“In the Strategic Design and Management program, we collaborate hand in hand with industry professionals, which means that we graduate with the insight and practical knowledge needed for careers in fashion and business.”
—Dylan Custodero, BBA Strategic Design and Management student
GRADUATE STUDY
Art and design professionals in the 21st century must navigate a fluid, networked global culture. Parsons Paris prepares its graduate students for this rapidly evolving world by offering cross-disciplinary master's fashion programs with advanced studio practice and research at their center. Our faculty are recognized leaders in design, academia, business, and emerging fields, and a low student-to-faculty ratio allows for professional mentor-style relationships that broaden your career options and network. We offer exclusive strategic institutional partnerships and industry affiliations, so that you can conduct research and enrich your interdisciplinary learning in one of the world’s foremost centers of design.
FASHION DESIGN AND THE ARTS MFA
The MFA in Fashion Design and the Arts program situates fashion in a radically new context. The program incorporates interdisciplinary research methods shaped by sustainabilitydriven approaches and collaborative investigation integrating fashion, the visual and performing arts, and the humanities.
The fashion industry is facing challenging transitions and must imagine its system anew—from production cycles to the consumption habits that drive it. To help guide these critical changes, Parsons Paris offers a groundbreaking master’s program involving immersive and innovative methods that broaden the practice of fashion design and contemporary arts.
In this studio program, you explore visionary creative practices grounded in the Parisian and European ecosystems of fashion, art, and cultural production. You experiment with interdisciplinary artistic methods, refining your vision as a creative with the guidance of guest designers and artists from diverse fields.
This program offers you the opportunity to study and practice in Paris, an international center of the arts. In your third semester, you expand your knowledge and networks by completing an internship or taking courses in another MFA program on the Parsons campus in New York City.
The Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and the Arts is a two-year program.
Career Paths
Fashion design; fashion styling, visual merchandising, and research; textile design and materials research; fine arts
newschool.edu/parsons-paris/fda
“ Your journey as a designer should begin with finding yourself. You have to be able to listen and be true to yourself.”
—Tuomas Laitinen, director of the MFA Fashion Design and the Arts program
FASHION STUDIES MA
The MA in Fashion Studies at Parsons Paris is the first master’s program in this field offered in France and one of just a handful worldwide. Here fashion is approached as a cultural phenomenon involving all practices connected with the production, dissemination, representation, and consumption of clothing.
The Fashion Studies program challenges you to apply interdisciplinary methodologies in examining research themes including globalization, labor, and sustainability; fashion curation, heritage, and material culture and the construction of beauty ideals; identity, race, and gender; everyday clothing; and technological innovation.
At Parsons Paris, particular attention is paid to the interaction between practice and theory. You engage directly with fashion as both a research subject and an industry through seminar-based classes, lectures, master classes led by fashion practitioners, and unique projects with Parisian fashion brands and European cultural institutions including the Palais Galliera, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), and the Fashion Museum of Antwerp (MoMu).
The Master of Arts in Fashion Studies is a two-year program.
Career and Academic Paths
Fashion branding, marketing, public relations, and communications; styling; image making; fashion writing; trend forecasting; retailing; curatorial roles in museums, galleries, archives, and auction houses; PhD study and teaching newschool.edu/parsons-paris/ma-fashion-studies
“My aim is to expand the role of fashion studies, move beyond a traditional academic pedagogical approach, and explore ways in which theory can inform fashion practice and vice versa.”
Marco Pecorari, director of the MA Fashion Studies program
LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Parsons Paris’ location in the heart of Europe facilitates learning beyond France through research, classes, and collaborative projects in Milan, Berlin, London, Antwerp, Florence, and other European cities. Our connections to Paris’ major luxury groups and fashion companies offer you rare opportunities to participate in the rich cultural, commercial, and design life of the city.
Excursions, day trips, and extracurricular activities throughout the semester introduce you to France’s rich and diverse culture—its fashion, cuisine, and architecture—which further broadens your learning. These outings also help you forge bonds with fellow students.
You enjoy access to many of Paris’ historic libraries, including the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. For more information about library resources and access, visit guides.library.newschool.edu/paris .
PARTNERED LEARNING
Our collaborations with fashion companies, luxury maisons, academic institutions, museums, and archives across Paris present unique opportunities to expand and diversify your learning. Below are some recent partners.
AZ Factory
Azzedine Alaïa Fondation
Borbonese
Deutsche Telekom
Dolce & Gabbana
Ferragamo Museum
Glassbox Espace d’Art
Institut National des Métiers d’Art
Maison Lesage
Maison Yves Delorme
Mango
Martin Margiela MM6
Mugler
Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD)
Musée du Quai Branly
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Palais de Tokyo
Palais Galliera, Musée de la mode de la ville de Paris
Swarovski
The Kooples
Tranoï Versace
54 collaborations with Paris brands and organizations since 2018
VISITING STUDENTS
Consider spending a semester or a year as a visiting student at Parsons Paris to broaden your degree studies. As a visiting student, you can take selected courses, taught in English, from our bachelor’s curricula. You also have access to our making, printing, and digital media facilities as well as opportunities to study French.
A small number of students from American and international universities and colleges are admitted each year to our study abroad programs. Recent graduates and students who have completed at least one year of college are invited to apply.
Visiting students bring new perspectives and practices from around the world, enriching the Parsons Paris educational community. In turn, they grow as creative problem solvers in an environment that encourages innovation and the free exchange of ideas between peers, faculty, and project partners.
They develop sought-after skills involving design thinking, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary work and lasting personal and professional connections. Check with your home institution to confirm the transferability of credits earned at Parsons Paris.
Visit newschool.edu/parsons-paris/study-abroad for information on the visiting student admission process or email visiting@newschool.edu with questions.
countries represented by students at Parsons Paris
LIFE AT PARSONS PARIS
Our Campus
At Parsons Paris, you’re just steps away from world-famous museums and universities, legendary design houses, and new media centers. You have direct access to green spaces and projects that have revolutionized the field of urban planning and development. And you’re surrounded by the celebrated food markets, cafés, and restaurants that have long made living in Paris a pleasure. On this map are some of our partners, cultural landmarks, and sites, cafés, and shops that will inspire and sustain you. Included is our newest academic center in Paris Romainville, an area known for its creative industries and cultural resources.
1 Parsons Paris, Rue Saint Roch campus
2 Parsons Paris, Romainville campus
3 The Louvre
4 Musée des Arts Décoratifs
5 Jeu de Paume
6 Musée de l’Orangerie
7 Grand Palais
8 Musée d'Art Moderne and Palais de Tokyo
9 Musée Marmottan Monet
10 Fondation Louis Vuitton
11 Musée Nissim de Camondo—
Musée des Art Décoratifs
12 Centre Pompidou
13 Musée National Picasso—Paris
14 Ateliers des Lumières
15 Musée du quai Branly— Jacques Chirac
16 Musée Rodin
17 Musée Bourdelle
18 Fondation Cartier Pour l’Art Contemporain
19 Cité de la Mode
20 Palais Galliera | Musée de la mode de la Ville de Paris
21 La Réserve des arts
22 Frac Île-de-France
23 Bobigny-Pantin-Raymond Queneau (Métro)
24 Fondation FIMINCO
25 Musée d’Orsay
Housing
Our partner Academic Programs International (API) offers furnished housing in shared apartments and individual studios in central Paris. Starting in fall 2024, students will also have housing options just a two-minute walk from our studios on the Romainville campus. For more information about housing options, including features, photos, deadlines, and fees, visit newschool.edu/ parsons-paris/housing.
Financial Aid
Parsons Paris' financial aid program provides competitive merit-based scholarships for U.S. and international students, and need-based aid for U.S. students who qualify. All applicants, including international students, are automatically considered for merit aid. We also participate in U.S. government grant and loan programs. For more information on financing your education, visit newschool.edu/parsons-paris/aid and newschool.edu/student-financialservices . You can email questions to sfs@newschool.edu.
Student Success Services
Parsons Paris offers students a complete range of student services, career support, and year-round activities to make their Parsons Paris experience safe, engaging, and enjoyable. Student Success staff assist and mentor students from the time they are admitted through graduation and beyond. They provide academic advising to help students make the most of their educational journey and offer internship and career guidance. They also assist with housing, visas, residence permits, bank accounts, counseling, and other needs and help address medical and safety concerns. Diverse social and cultural activities are organized yearround, including a comprehensive orientation to prepare students for life in Paris, cultural immersion events, and celebrations of American and French holidays.
“As soon as you enter Parsons, you become part of an alumni network that is very helpful, especially if you are not French. The school reaches out to the alumni community for contacts in the art and design industry.”
Camila Abisambra, MA Fashion Studies alum
Henriette Watum
Alexander Burlay
Alina Mufti
Viktoriia Teterina
Antoinette Alba
Bella Stern
Career Development and Internships Staff
Our Student Success team works closely with Career Development and Internships staff members, who assist with job searches and employer connections and offer other resources that give students a competitive edge in securing internships and other professional opportunities. Career Services holds regular information sessions, networking events, forums, and exclusive learning events. The staff also facilitate one-on-one meetings with potential employers, provide career counseling and interview preparation support, and host career-related workshops and events.
Career Support Services
• One-on-one career counseling on job and internship search strategies and networking opportunities
• Professional development support and training, including assistance with preparation of résumés, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles; portfolio reviews; and mock interviews
• Workshops, panels, employer information sessions, on-campus interviews, and career and internship fairs
• Alumni networking events
85% of graduates are employed or pursuing further education within six months of graduation¹
“During my hands-on courses, thesis research, and internships, I refined my career goals with the help of my program director. Now I own my own vintage store in Paris.”
Nicolette Contursi, MA Fashion Studies alum
Internship Information
Internships in Paris offer unparalleled access to global creative agencies, and our Career Services staff can assist you by helping you secure:
• Opportunities during Paris Fashion Week and at museum exhibitions, art fairs, and galleries
• Short-term internships—full-time work during the summer and part-time work during the academic year
• Long-term internships—full-time or part-time work (three to six months)
Typical internships are 60 to 180 hours. Summer Intensive Studies internships can last up to three months. Credit may be available for internship opportunities, depending on the duration of the internships and students’ eligibility.
internships completed during the 2022–2023 academic year
VISIT AND APPLY
Visit Admission Events (newschool.edu/parsons-paris/ admission-events) to schedule a visit and learn about upcoming information sessions, online advising chats, and visits by Parsons admission counselors.
To apply for degree program admission, visit newschool.edu/parsons-paris/ admission. There you can view program-specific requirements, including submission of transcripts, English language test scores, and portfolios.
Every year, Parsons Paris also admits a number of transfer students to our full degree programs.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Undergraduate
• Early action (freshmen only) for fall semester: November 1
• Regular decision for fall semester: January 15. Applications may be accepted on a rolling basis until June if space is available.
Graduate Programs
• Fall semester: January 15. Late applications may be accepted if space is available.
FOR NEW SCHOOL STUDENTS: SHORT-TERM STUDY IN PARIS
Students who are entering their junior year and are in good standing at Parsons in New York and in other programs of The New School can spend a semester or a year at Parsons Paris.
Consult your academic advisor to discuss the mobility application procedure.
Summer Intensive Studies in Paris allows pre-college (aged 16 years and older) and college and adult students to experience our curriculum and Parisian culture. We also offer programs outside of Paris that are tailored to the resources of the site. Recent programs have been given in Cannes, Florence, and Barcelona. Each summer, two sessions are offered, one in June and a second in July. Students who study in the summer program offered by Parsons Paris receive college credit for their courses. Applications for Summer Intensive Studies are available at the end of November.
Since its founding in 1919, The New School has been a center of independent thought, dialogue, and action. We are a community that applies integrative approaches to global problems and leads the systemic change needed to make the world more equitable, more sustainable, and better designed for all. Today our university is made up of colleges offering courses in art and design, music and performance, the liberal arts and social sciences, management, media, and more.
Get in touch and take the next step
Contact our team, learn about admission requirements, join an admission event, or make an appointment.
Parsons Paris is a registered branch campus of The New School and is accredited by MSCHE. In addition, Parsons Paris is recognized by the French Ministry of Higher Education as an établissement d'enseignement supérieur privé and has the authorization to operate in France. Parsons School of Design is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. For full information on the university’s accreditation, visit newschool.edu/provost/accreditation. The information published here represents the plans of the university at the time of publication and does not constitute an irrevocable contract between the student and The New School. The university reserves the right to change without notice any matter contained in this publication, including but not limited to tuition, fees, policies, degrees, programs, names of programs, course offerings, academic activities, academic requirements, facilities, faculty, and administrators. Payment of tuition or attendance at any classes shall constitute a student’s acceptance of the administration’s rights as set forth above. For important information including student rights, campus safety statistics, and tuition and fees, visit newschool.edu/your-right-to-know. Published
2024 by The New School. The New School is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Photo credits: Romain Darnaud, Emil Hernon, MacKenna Lewis, Matthew Mathews, Julien Mouffron-Gardner, Marjorie Preval, Francesca Salamone (Armonicafilm), yocrosby@gmail.com.
This brochure is printed on 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper with UV inks that conserve energy and material and do not release VOCs into the atmosphere—reflecting the university’s embrace of environmental responsibility.
