About

This Architecture (M.Arch) program is part of the Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments (SCE).

Sites of learning

Students design for sites of critical importance to New York City’s evolution, they consider issues related to infrastructure, public space, housing, and other key matters at the forefront of dialogue about urban centers. In studios, they also address environmental challenges presented by sea-level rise and storm surge. The studio course sequence challenges students to contend with the demands imposed by use, site, context, structure, and construction. Interdisciplinary electives in history, theory, and technology highlight architecture’s pivotal role in shaping culture. Students can choose electives offered in other programs throughout The New School.

Professional partnerships

Courses draw on Parsons’ network of municipal and institutional partners, local practitioners, and commercial clients, providing students with internship, design competition, and research funding opportunities. Students in the Design Workshop design and construct a project for a nonprofit client — from schematics to punch list. Established in 1996, the workshop embodies the progressive values of Parsons and The New School. It unites theoretical and hands-on learning and trains students to develop practices to improve the social and physical environment. Past projects include a sustainable laundromat and information center for Hurricane Katrina survivors, a rooftop garden with educational and recreational facilities for Bronx youth, and pool changing pavilions for two New York City communities.

Multidisciplinary approaches

The Architecture programme offered by Parsons School of Design - The New School focuses on contemporary issues directly affecting the field, ranging from new representational techniques to sustainable built and natural systems. It prepares students to enter the professional architecture community and shape the built environment and the field. The M.Arch is a program within Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments (SCE), alongside related degrees in interior, lighting, and product/industrial design. In the SCE studio, members of a diverse student body collaborate on complex design problems, from interiors to comprehensive architectural volumes, public spaces, and urban design.

Architecture and lighting design dual degree

Those who wish to pursue studies in lighting design and architecture can apply to the dual-degree program, a four-year, 120-credit-hour curriculum that combines the NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture and the MFA Lighting Design. Interested students should apply directly to the dual-degree program; they will automatically be considered for admission to the individual Master of Architecture and MFA Lighting Design programs as well.

Future opportunities

Graduates have gone on to open their own practices and work in prominent firms, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro, LevenBetts, Bernheimer Architecture, Bjarke Ingels Group, Gensler, Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis, Matter Architecture Practice, Smith-Miller Hawkinson, and Young Projects. Graduates have pursued careers in engineering, urban planning, landscape design, and interior design as well as architecture.