Parsons School of Design

Since 1896, Parsons has been the leader in design education. Parsons is one of the largest and most competitive schools of art & design in the world. Located in Greenwich Village - the heart of New York City.

Parsons School of Design, now over 100 years old, has been a pioneer in the field of art and design education since its founding in 1896. When he became president of the school, Frank Alvah Parsons acted on a revolutionary idea: create a college that would respond to the tectonic shifts in demographics, economics, and culture brought on by the industrial revolution. Mass produced consumer products allowed millions of middle-class consumers to buy goods that gave them a sense of identity as a new segment of society made them more comfortable and spared their labor. But these goods were frequently of questionable quality, very homogenous, and often ugly. Frank Alvah Parsons responded by reinventing the school he led, and focusing its mission on improving the quality, beauty, and use, of mass-produced goods. At the dawn of the 21st century Parsons is reinventing educational programming and facilities that respond to the next major shift in demographics, economics, culture, technology and the design professions. Designers will produce smaller batches of goods for niche markets around the globe. Tailor-made designing will proliferate in consumer markets. Consumers will design, and perhaps produce, their own products. Professional specializations will merge. As the capacity and speed of the Internet and its successors multiply, it will become a dominant source of information, advertising, sales, and product distribution. At Parsons, your imagination will be challenged to its limits by some of the world's most accomplished artists, designers, architects, advertisers, photographers, illustrators and critics. They bring their professional expertise into Parson studios every day. You will acquire the skills and the broad cultural knowledge that will allow you to become a leader in your creative field, as reflected in the achievements of some of Parsons' most outstanding alumni.