MFA LIGHTING DESIGN REFERENCE FOLDER Cover Graduate Programs and Admission Requirements Admission Deadline Parsons at a Glance Career Services, Tuition & Financial Aid
MAJORS AT PARSONS Architecture Design Studies Design and Technology Design and Urban Ecologies Fashion Design and Society Fashion Studies Fine Arts History of Decorative Arts and Design Interior Design Lighting Design Photography Theories of Urban Practice Transdisciplinary Design
Lighting has been an important part of design education at Parsons since the 1970s, when the school launched the first graduate program in architectural lighting design. Today the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design program’s focus on aesthetics, physiological and psychological factors, and sustainable practices makes it the only graduate lighting program to emphasize both design and civic responsibility.
Parsons’ MFA Lighting Design program examines the relationships between theory, technical application, energy conservation, and social and environmental aspects of electric and natural light. The two-year, full-time curriculum is composed of 25 studio credits, 30 credits of seminars (on cultural, historical, and perceptual aspects of light), and 9 electives. The core of the curriculum is the studio experience, in which students learn to envision form and space in light. Design projects integrate research, case study and technical analysis, precedent study, conceptual design development, and consideration of ethics and energy management strategies. An urban landscape and center for environmental design, New York City offers students of lighting design abundant opportunities for learning. Lighting design is relevant to zoning and building regulations, traffic and pedestrian safety, neighborhood integration, and numerous other matters affecting the city. Here students have access to industry-related activities including trade shows, conferences, professional internships, and extracurricular activities with leading global practitioners, publishers, and manufacturers.
PARSONS COMMUNITY Parsons Learning Communities The New School Parsons: Parts of an Urban Network Parsons: Engaged with the World
ADMISSION TIMELINE Graduate Admission and Financial Aid Timeline Pei-Chun Yang
For more about faculty, courses, and requirements, visit
www.newschool.edu/parsons-mfald.
The Lighting Design program is part of Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments (SCE), along with closely related programs in architecture, interior design, and product design. In the open environment of the SCE design studio, students work collaboratively on complex problems ranging from single interior environments to comprehensive architectural volumes, outdoor public space, and urban planning. This interdisciplinary background prepares graduates for careers as architectural lighting designers; specialists in private practice or at large architecture, engineering, or interior design firms; theatrical or exhibition lighting specialists; or research experts in equipment design or manufacturing enterprises.
The School of Constructed Environments also offers two multidisciplinary tracks, described below, that enable students to develop an in-depth technical and aesthetic understanding of the relationship between light, architecture, and interior design.
MFA Lighting Design/Master of Architecture Dual Degree Those who wish to pursue studies in lighting design and architecture can apply to the dual-degree program, a four-year, 142-credit-hour curriculum that combines the NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture and MFA Lighting Design. Interested students should apply directly to this dual-degree program; they will automatically be considered for admission to the individual Master of Architecture and MFA Lighting Design programs as well.
MFA Lighting Design and Interior Design Double Major The School of Constructed Environments offers students wishing to combine studies in lighting design and interior design a unique double major. In the MFA Lighting Design and Interior Design double major, a three-year, 102-credit-hour curriculum, students develop an in-depth technical and aesthetic understanding of the relationship between light and interior design. Interested students should apply directly to their primary program of interest—Lighting Design or Interior Design—and follow the application prompts for the double major.