about the blog
This blog is dedicated to the Parsons First Year and Undergraduate experience. It shares the breadth and depth of student work, gives insight into the curriculum and structure of Parsons First Year and Undergraduate programs, and highlights news and accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and alumni.
about first year
The curriculum is focused on various approaches to teaching and learning a range of art and design methods, theories, and practices. This includes a grounding in the liberal arts, and working across studio and seminar contexts, through reading, writing, and making. The First Year is the beginning of all Parsons majors, and prepares students to focus on their majors moving forward as well as envision paths beyond the confines of a single discipline. Learn more about the Parsons first-year here.
about majors
Parsons School of Design offers an array of majors. Each major is an interdisciplinary space of study, where students are encouraged to pursue their research and practice alongside electives throughout the university.
Students enter Parsons with either a declared major or as an Undeclared student and begin their studies in the shared first-year curriculum. During this time, students may discover new strengths and skills and wish to change their major. Based on space constraints, we make every attempt to accommodate requests to switch majors but in programs with space constraints not all requests may be possible. The Undeclared option/major is best for students who are uncertain as to what they want to study and wish to truly utilize the first-year to explore their options before declaring a major. If there is a program you are interested in or leaning towards, the Office of Admission encourages students to select the desired major on their application.
Students graduate with a BFA or BBA depending on their major, and are also able to minor in a field outside of their area of study, such as anthropology or creative coding. In addition to the BFA and BBA degrees, some students complete the BAFA program, meaning they earn both a BFA degree from Parsons and a BA degree from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts. Learn more about majors and minors.