For years, Parsons has upheld a stellar reputation, and its interior design school has long ranked among the highest in the world. Located on 5th Avenue, it provides ample opportunity to develop high-calibre projects that go well beyond the campus. Students are expected to participate in such international competitions and events as the UN Mass Housing contest and the Venice Biennale; and to collaborate with NGOs and major corporate brands.
Last year, for a White House luncheon, students designed an installation made of discarded books, with 4,000 pages woven into a stage backdrop for Michelle Obama. This past spring, MFA candidates worked with the Pratt Institute on Housing the Homeless in NYC, to envision plausible design solutions to help the poor. The final projects, which were written up in the New Yorker, included a plan to turn disused shipping containers into housing communities; and a culinary school for people living in poverty. This fall, students are working with Monadnock Development on My Micro NY, a micro-housing concept that involves everything from crafting interiors with sustainable materials to designing the landscape.
Since 2009, Parsons has offered a postgrad program, as well as AAS degrees (associates in applied science). Next year, a new facility, the Making Center, will house traditional and state-of-the-art digital fabrication tools.
FAST FACTS
Location: 66 5th Ave., New York
Programs: BFA, MFA, AAS
Tuition: BFA/AAS: $US12,780 per term, $US22,340 full term
Job placement rate: 96% for AAS graduates
Notable alumni: Lee Gibson (designer at Nike), Anne-Mette Krolmark (designer for H&M flagship stores), Greg Diedrich (designer at Gensler)
For more information about education in architecture, industrial design, interaction design, interior design and landscape architecture, visit our Top Schools section.