phd design new york

Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design (PhD)

Program description.

Innovations in technologies redefine and reshape people's lives, changing social and cultural practices, norms and values, institutional processes, and economies and infrastructures. Working to develop new applications for existing and emerging human-centered technologies informed through rigorous, interdisciplinary research and managing socio-technical transitions is a fast-growing and highly important area of research across a number of fields and disciplines. The mission of the Tandon School of Engineering's Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design Ph.D. program is to educate and train scholars who will produce pioneering research and scholarship at the vanguard of technological practice and theory.

This program fosters student research through its focus on high-quality supervision and training by faculty members with significant research strengths in a diverse range of technology-related fields, including: digital media and creative practice, design and human-computer interaction, science and technology studies, urban and environmental studies, sociotechnical complex systems, and technology management and innovation. Students in the program typically follow an individualized path based in one of four main areas of focus:

• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
• Design Research & Practice
• Management Science
• Computational Social Science

The Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design program is a unique interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, offering a rigorous and flexible course of study that unites the strengths of the Departments of Technology Management and Innovation and Technology Culture & Society at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. It is ideal for students who are primarily interested in pursuing teaching and/or research-based careers at higher education institutions. Universities with undergraduate and graduate programs that emphasize the integration of design and technology development with the critical study of society and technology or the management sciences are a primary source of career opportunities for our graduates. Similarly, government agencies, not-for-profit research organization, think tanks, corporate research centers, and research-based design and consulting firms also seek our graduates. 

Admission to graduate programs in the Tandon School of Engineering requires the following minimum components:

• Statement of Purpose
• Letters of Recommendation
• Transcripts
• Proficiency in English

The  NYU Tandon Graduate Admissions website  has additional information on school-wide admission.

Some programs may require additional components for admissions.

See the program's  How to Apply  for department-specific admission requirements and instructions.

Requirements

Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design program is based on an in-depth evaluation of the applicant’s academic record, professional experience, research potential, interest in doctoral study, and overall intellectual and professional qualifications. The GRE is optional, while proof of english language proficiency is required for international students.

Comprehensive Examinations

Research training and interaction with faculty, advising and evaluating, prerequisites, program requirements.

Students will have the opportunity to hone their specialization through selecting courses relevant to their research interests.

• Can be in any subfield(s)
• Courses may be taken at Tandon or any school of NYU, except the School of Professional Studies. Courses taken outside of Tandon must be graded and not taken as pass/fail.

These courses provide strong research background required for doctoral studies. These four research seminars should be completed before taking the comprehensive exam.

Students will build their research experience through independent study courses where they will conduct research under a faculty member. Students must complete at least 15 credits of this course before registering for their dissertation, and enroll with at least two different TCS faculty.

The dissertation is evaluated in two parts: Proposal Defense and Final Defense. For details, contact the PhD HTID Program academic director.

Students must successfully pass two comprehensive examinations before starting the dissertation:

• Part One: This examination includes material covered in the methodology courses. It can be taken after completing 30 graduate credits.
• Part Two: This examination includes material from the thematic elective and associated thematic research courses, doctoral seminars and research methods courses. It can be taken after completing required course work.

Students can take both examinations together. Results are provided within one month of the examination. Students have only two chances to pass each examination, and we recommend they start during the end of their 2 nd year.

Students are expected to work actively with one or more faculty each year, and focus on completing research. Students are strongly encouraged to present research in progress once a year and work towards publishable papers, usually with a faculty as co-author.

Every student participates in formal research seminars with departmental faculty and visitors.

The HTID doctoral program faculty director advises all first-year doctoral students. During their first year students have many opportunities to get to know the research interests of all departmental faculty. By the beginning of the second year, students have selected an intermediary adviser who will guide them through the comprehensive exam process and up to the thesis stage. By the middle of the third year students will have selected a thesis adviser. Each year every student submits a statement of intellectual progress to their adviser.

All faculty meet to review the progress of all students in a day-long meeting each year. At this time, the student’s intellectual progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. The results of this review include a formal letter to the student assessing the previous year’s work and offering guidance for the following year’s work.

All Ph.D. HTID students need a fundamental knowledge of probability and statistics. Students without such a background must take MG-GY 5050 PROBABILITY AND MANAGERIAL STATISTICS . Students without any background in professional writing and communications must take JW-GY 6003 Introduction to Technical Communication or JW-GY 6313 .

Students who have a master’s degree or who are transferring from other institutions (or other departments within Tandon) are admitted based on the same qualification standards that apply to new students. For each required M.S. or Ph.D. level course, if students have taken a similar course, they may transfer credits for the course. However, students still have to take and pass both qualifying exams. A minimum of 30 credits, including all dissertation credit, must be taken at Tandon. No dissertation credits from other institutions can be transferred.

All students must take the required coursework as assigned and follow the stipulated curriculum. The course work must be finished within the first three years and the dissertation thesis within the next three years, so all students complete the doctorate within six years.

Sample Plan of Study

RE-GY 9990 PHD QUALIFYING EXAM is the prerequisite for MG-GY 999X PHD DISSERTATION IN TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT and is taken in the Summer of the second year.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

• Be exposed to advanced design skills modulated by understanding of the ways in which society and technology deeply influence design and development.
• Develop advanced qualitative and quantitative research skills in the social sciences, as a basis for designing, making, and evaluating new technologies in the service of society.
• Gain in-depth knowledge in a focused thematic area related to designing and making in domains including Human-Computer Interaction, disability, media, and governance based on grassroots input, as well as a deep intersectional understanding of the interplay between technology, race, class, gender, and ability.

NYU Policies

Tandon policies.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

Additional academic policies can be found on the  Tandon academic policy page . 

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PhD in Transition Design

Fundamental change at every level of society is needed to address the issues confronting us in the 21st century. From climate change, loss of biodiversity, and depletion of natural resources, to systems of oppression, inequality, and inequity, Transition Design tackles these kinds of complex, wicked problems.

About our PhD Program

The PhD in Transition Design is for people committed to making a positive change in the world. Our unique program develops future design leaders with the capacity to envision and realize purposeful change across a range of complex systems—from food, water, materials and products, to policy, culture, economy, cities, and social movements. Transition Design acknowledges that we are living in transitional times, takes as its central premise the need for societal transition (systems-level change) to more just, equitable, and sustainable futures, and argues that design and designers have a key role to play in these transitions. This kind of design is connected to long horizons of time, pluriversal perspectives, compelling visions of desired futures, and must be based upon new knowledge and skill sets. Research in Transition Design, while grounded in systems thinking, can also be undertaken from the perspective of many areas of interest—circular economies, commoning, decoloniality, sociotechnical transitions, public policy, stakeholder participation, and futuring, to name a few.

Complex challenges must be addressed through ecologies of interventions that draw on multiple design specialisms, alongside expertise from other disciplines. In this way, Transition Design is a transdisciplinary field that unites researchers from within and beyond Design. This involves service designers, social designers, communication designers, product designers, environments designers, and design historians, working alongside ecologists, anthropologists, philosophers, economists, and political scientists.

Our PhD researchers develop their own research interests within the broad framework of Transition Design. We practice a collective, rather than competitive approach to creating a strong cohort. Program faculty and researchers alike operate as one supportive community with the shared goal of producing transformational work that matters. Throughout the program, you will maintain fluid interactions between theory and practice, through critical engagements with texts, images, media, objects, and experiences. The program is designed to encourage a supportive, critical research culture in which students, their peers, and advisory committees work closely together to shape new knowledge. As a PhD Researcher at CMU, your research will directly shape the development of this dynamic and emerging field.

The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon is a top-ranked Design School, situated at the heart of a world-leading research university, with a thriving undergraduate, graduate and doctoral student community. Upon completing the PhD, graduates are equipped to drive design-led systems-change through academic posts in leading universities and take on influential roles in nonprofit organizations, business, and government. Recent graduate destinations have included the University of Technology Sydney, New York University, Microsoft, University of Michigan, and Northeastern University.

Read more about Transition Design .

Program Structure

The program has two key stages: the first is taught (year 1); the second comprises a self-defined project developed in consultation with an advisory committee (years 2–4). Where schedules permit, our students can take electives from across Carnegie Mellon's rich and diverse curricular offering.

The core curriculum is as follows:

Advancing your understanding of how research from diverse disciplinary domains can inform new kinds of research and practice. Through this 15-week course, you will explore the intersections of theory, practice and praxis, to develop a holistic understanding of research as a reflexive theoretical and practical process. Coursework includes the design of praxis methods to shape your own research. Topics include: research of design, research for design, research by design, and design praxis.

"Teaching Design" focuses on planning, conducting, reviewing, and revising learning experiences in academic and professional contexts. Students will study learning theories and instructional design approaches, probing their value to design education. Students will investigate traditional and emergent approaches to instruction through readings and discussions situated in the realm of cognitive studies, neuroscience, learning science, instructional design, and educational pedagogy. Students will discuss challenges that are common to design, which they will use to brainstorm ways of effectively addressing obstacles that they are likely to encounter when teaching. Students will apply their discoveries to the design of learning objectives, outcomes, instructional activities, performance measures, formative assessments, and summative evaluations, to create innovative and effective teaching and learning experiences based on a context they define. The course will culminate in the design of concrete teaching plans that may take the form of syllabi, project briefs, class exercises, assessment tools, and evaluation metrics.

An “ecoliterate” mindset is the starting point for Transition Design. Indeed, to be ecoliterate is to understand the principles through which natural systems flourish and to apply these principles to society, so that we too may flourish without compromising or destroying the natural systems on which we depend. Spanning 7-weeks, this seminar class focuses on key themes of ecoliteracy to help us navigate our social, ecological, and existential crises. Topics include: place and bioregions, Goethean science, living systems and Gaia, relationality and context, radical holism, and everyday life and infrastructure

This seminar exposes students to the emergent issues in the research and practice of Design through weekly discussions with individual faculty members. Faculty primarily resident to the School of Design present their research and interests to students in 50 minute sessions; two faculty presenting one day each week. The course aims to provide masters students (and some PhD students) first-hand exposure to faculty, their research, and interests. It's also a nice way for faculty to begin meeting grad students.

Driving design-led, systems-level change towards socially and ecologically sustainable, convivial and equitable place-based lifestyles. Through this 15-week course, you will explore multilevel problems to establish mutually beneficial relationships between people, the natural environment and the designed world; repositioning designers as agents of sustainable change. Topics include: living systems & complex problems, mindsets & postures, theories of change, visions, and transition designing.

Introducing future-focused design practices with practical training in futuring and foresight methods. Through this 15-week course, you will be introduced to a broad array of future-focused design practices, coupled with practical training in futuring and foresight techniques and methods. Coursework includes the development of a "Time Machine"—an immersive, future-focussed scenario for storytelling and research activation. Topics include: world modeling, futuring & foresight, emerging design practices, criticality & speculation, design pedagogy, and sustainable futures.

Defining a 3-year research project with your advisory committee, geared toward activating sustainable change. Through this 7-week course, you will frame new research contexts, define questions, plan methodological approaches, design open research structures that adapt and change, and speculate upon research outcomes and their impacts. Coursework includes writing a PhD proposal. Topics include: framing research problems, building an argument, planning your project, keeping research open, and writing a research proposal.

Developing a 2-year period of deep, reflective and self-directed research. Across this sequence of courses—spanning 4 semesters—you work closely with your advisory committee to build upon your research proposal and literature review. During this phase, you will deepen your literature review, undertake field research, develop your practice and begin pulling together your research into a coherent body of work.

Deepening your connection with the craft of writing via a cross-section of academic, journalistic and creative styles. Through this 15-week course this practical hands-on course helps you develop your style, structure and confidence in design writing. Writing is framed as a creative process where ideas are explored, discovered and expressed. Coursework includes planning a literature review. Topics include: conference papers & journal articles, design criticism, podcasts & digital publishing, and transformational design curricula.

Creating the critical space for divergent research themes to coalesce into a clear and conclusive body of research. You will assemble your dissertation in advance of the defense in May of the final semester. Dissertations can be entirely written (60–80K words), or a body of written and practical work (40–60K words, by negotiation). Your final body of work must demonstrate an original contribution to knowledge which expands understanding of transition design.

In addition to the above courses, students and faculty meet every few weeks for Critical Readings in Transition Design—a forum for in-depth discussion and critique of key texts, concepts and tools relating to transition design, and design-led systems-change more broadly.

Click here to view our PhD in Transition Design Planner, illustrating how these courses map across the 4 years of the program.

Current Researchers & Faculty

Phd researchers.

Adam Cowart

Tricia Douglas

Kyla Fullenwider

Luis Garcia

Esther Kang

William Martin

Saurin Nanavanti

Alexander Polzin

Madeline Sides

Russell Singer

Margaret M Urban

Matthew Wizinsky

Faculty advisors.

Toward the end of the first year, you are supported in assembling a 2-4 member advisory committee. This mentoring group comprises diverse expertise from faculty from the School of Design , from other schools across CMU, and advisors external to CMU where appropriate.

Requirements & Costs

Entry requirements.

Qualifications Applicants should meet the following requirements:

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a strong record of academic achievement.
• A Master's degree from an accredited institution with a strong record of academic achievement. In some circumstances, we will consider applicants without a Master's degree, where there is evidence of equivalent community-engagement, leadership, research, writing, or other related experience.
• Candidates for the PhD teaching fellowship will ordinarily have a Master's degree in Design, and at least two years of professional and/or teaching experience. In select cases, 5+ years of professional design experience, demonstrated by portfolio, may be considered if the applicant's Master's degree is in a related or complementary field.

Language Requirements All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or the online Duolingo English Test score. All applicants must submit their highest test score by the application deadline.

• Our minimum TOEFL total score is 102, with minimum subscores of 25. In addition to single test date TOEFL iBT scores, the School of Design also accepts MyBest scores for TOEFL iBT.
• Our minimum IELTS score is 7.5
• Our minimum Duolingo score is 128 total. Subscore minimums: Literacy: 125, Conversation: 120, Comprehension: 135, Production: 105

Scores below these minimums will not be considered for admission. Note : There are additional requirements for teaching fellowship candidates, in regards to written and verbal English language capacities by Pennsylvania State Legislation. All non-native English speakers are required to pass an International Teaching Assistant Test administered by CMU.

There are two funding routes through the program: professional track and teaching fellowships.

Professional track candidates find their own sources of funding. This route is for people who wish to continue their employment whilst also undertaking PhD research, and keep the flexibility to study in a low-residency mode once the first year of coursework is complete.

Teaching fellowships cover tuition, individual health insurance, and provide an annual stipend of $22,500 ($11,250 per semester). Teaching fellows co-teach one course per semester, from semesters 2–7. All teaching fellows must be in residence at CMU for the duration of the program.

Applicants who are accepted into the program, but do not receive an offer of a teaching fellowship, are required to pay the following fees, totalling approximately $69,975 over 4-years:

• Year 1: $45,700 (2024-2025)
• Year 2: $6,490 (2025-2026)
• Year 3: $6,625 (2026-2027)
• Year 4: $6,760 (2027-2028)

University fees (annual estimate)

• Activity Fee: $238
• Transportation Fee: $256
• Technology Fee: $460

Note : Professional track candidates are responsible for their own individual health insurance at approximately $3,000 per year.

Application

Information on how to apply and what you'll need to include with your application can be found HERE .

Further Information

Please feel free to email us with any questions. You can also check out our FAQs page . As this is a relatively new program, insufficient data exists to provide helpful transparency statistics. This will be shared as it becomes available.

Degree Requirements and Curriculum

The curriculum for the Ph.D. in Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design* Program fosters a research-intensive doctoral education relevant to understanding and shaping the impact of new technologies on a complex and rapidly-changing society and its institutions. We focus on how technology impacts society and culture and how, in turn, society and its institutions respond to those impacts. This includes the rapidly emerging areas of integrated design media, human-computer interaction, institutional innovation, data science and urban analytics. Technology, Culture, & Society (TCS) core courses provide a necessary foundation to develop these advanced skills.

Coursework for the Ph.D. in Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design expose students to advanced design skills modulated by understanding of the ways in which society and technology deeply influence design and development. Research methods courses help students develop advanced qualitative and quantitative research skills in the social sciences, as a basis for designing, making, and evaluating new technologies in the service of society. Thematic elective courses help students gain in-depth knowledge in a focused thematic area related to designing and making in domains including Human-Computer Interaction, disability, media, and governance based on grassroots input, as well as a deep intersectional understanding of the interplay between technology, race, class, gender, and ability. Working together, students and doctoral advisers select which courses relate to the student’s course of study in the Program.

Students are required to complete 75 credits, including 51 credits from the course work and 24 credits from the dissertation.

1. Research Methods Courses: 9 Credits

• MG-GY 9413 Quantitative Methods Seminar I 3 Credits
• MG-GY 9433 Qualitative Research Methods 3 Credits
• Methodology course related to student’s plan of study (requires advisor and program director approval)

2. TCS Courses: 15 Credits

Students will have the opportunity to hone their specialization through selecting TCS courses relevant to their research interests. Students should consult with their research advisor and select 5 appropriate classes).

• Can be in any subfield(s)
• At least 3 courses must be offered through TCS department

3. Doctoral Seminar (12 Credits)

Students are required to take four 3-credit doctoral seminar courses to provide strong research background required for doctoral studies. These four research seminars should be completed before taking the comprehensive exam.

DM-GY Doctoral Seminar in Technology, Culture and Society

4. Independent Research Project: 15 Credits

Students will build their research experience through independent study courses where they will conduct research under a faculty member. Students must complete at least 15 credits of this course before registering for their dissertation, and enroll with at least two different TCS faculty.

• MG-GY 9913 Independent Research 3 Credits

5. Doctoral Dissertation: 24 credits

The dissertation is evaluated in two parts: Proposal Defense and Final Defense. For details, contact the Ph.D. HTID Program academic director.

• MG-GY 999X PhD Dissertation in Technology Management 3 Credits

6. Comprehensive Examinations

Students must successfully pass two comprehensive examinations before starting the dissertation.

• Part One: This examination includes material covered in the methodology courses. It can be taken after completing 30 graduate credits.
• Part Two: This examination includes material from the thematic elective and associated thematic research courses, doctoral seminars and research methods courses. It can be taken after completing required course work.

Students can take both examinations together. Results are provided within one month of the examination. Students have only two chances to pass each examination, and we recommend they start during the end of their 2 nd year.

7. Research training and interaction with faculty

Students are expected to work actively with one or more faculty each year, and focus on completing research. Students are strongly encouraged to present research in progress once a year and work towards publishable papers, usually with a faculty as co-author.

Every student participates in formal research seminars with departmental faculty and visitors.

8. Advising and evaluating

The HTID doctoral program faculty director advises all first-year doctoral students. During their first year students have many opportunities to get to know the research interests of all departmental faculty. By the beginning of the second year, students have selected an intermediary adviser who will guide them through the comprehensive exam process and up to the thesis stage. By the middle of the third year students will have selected a thesis adviser. Each year every student submits a statement of intellectual progress to their adviser.

All faculty meet to review the progress of all students in a day-long meeting each year. At this time, the student’s intellectual progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. The results of this review include a formal letter to the student assessing the previous year’s work and offering guidance for the following year’s work.

9. Prerequisites

All Ph.D. HTID students need a fundamental knowledge of probability and statistics. Students without such a background must take MG-GY 5050 Probability and Managerial Statistics   . Students without any background in professional writing and communications must take JW-GY 6003 Introduction to Technical Communication    or JW 6313 Proposal Writing   .

Students who have a master’s degree or who are transferring from other institutions (or other departments within Tandon) are admitted based on the same qualification standards that apply to new students. For each required M.S. or Ph.D. level course, if students have taken a similar course, they may transfer credits for the course. However, students still have to take and pass both qualifying exams. A minimum of 30 credits, including all dissertation credit, must be taken at Tandon. No dissertation credits from other institutions can be transferred.

All students must take the required coursework as assigned and follow the stipulated curriculum. The course work must be finished within the first three years and the dissertation thesis within the next three years, so all students complete the doctorate within six years.

Total Credits for Ph.D. HTID Program: 75

* Formerly known as the Ph.D. in Technology, Culture, & Society

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Parsons School of Design

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For more than a century, Parsons has been inspired by the transformative potential of design. Today, the school’s groundbreaking academic programs carry forward that mission, making Parsons the number one design school in the U.S. and among the top three globally. At the heart of a comprehensive university — The New School — Parsons draws on a range of academic fields to deliver a uniquely interdisciplinary education enriched by the resources of its home in New York City and branch campus in Paris. Here, the next generation of creative leaders engage in real-world learning and develop as critical thinkers and makers grappling with the pressing issues of our time.

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Transdisciplinary Design

The Transdisciplinary Design MFA academic program, offered at our New York City campus, addresses pressing social, economic, political, and environmental issues by uniting the theoretical focus of the social sciences and the transformative possibilities of artistic and design practices. Our students collaboratively consider issues from multiple perspectives and at a range of scales.

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Ph.D. in Urban Planning

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The Ph.D. in Urban Planning is focused on training individuals for future careers as teachers, researchers, policy-makers, and business entrepreneurs in and near the field of urban planning—in academia, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and think tanks. The program equips students with the theoretical and methodological expertise to address important contemporary issues, such as climate change and adaptation, built environment transformation, immigration and migration, housing and community development, and poverty and inequality. It is a highly competitive doctoral program, accepting only three candidates each year.

We welcome prospective students from a wide range of backgrounds, and value strong abilities for critical thinking and independent research. In reviewing applications, the Ph.D. faculty make decisions collectively, based on students’ academic preparation, topical areas of interest, and experience with analytical. We encourage students to explore various directions of intellectual growth after enrollment.

The Ph.D. in Urban Planning is a program within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) while the actual degree is granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Admission for 2024

• The application deadline for 2024 admissions was December 14, 2023, and is now closed.
• For additional information on the application process and requirements, please see the GSAS website.
• Hiba Bou Akar
• Hugo Sarmiento
• Anthony Vanky
• Tom Slater , Interim Program Director

Upon entering the program, each student consults with the program director for the duration of their coursework. The program director’s role is to provide independent guidance and mentorship on all aspects of student life. Students meet at least once each semester with the program director to discuss their academic progress and future plans.

By the date of the comprehensive examination and prior to submitting their dissertation prospectus, each student selects a dissertation advisor (also known as sponsor), to act as a guide during the course of dissertation research and for the dissertation defense. During this or any other time, students are still able to draw on the mentorship of other Ph.D. faculty.

Spring 2024 Courses

Related events, other urbanism programs at gsapp.

Ph.D. Program

The ph.d. in performance studies at nyu is an intensive, highly competitive five-year program that trains students to conduct advanced research and scholarship..

The first of its kind (and still one of a very few) as a stand-alone doctoral program in performance studies, NYU Performance Studies was ranked #1 by the National Research Council in its survey of doctoral programs in theater and performance studies.  Many of our graduates have gone on to academic positions in leading research institutions worldwide, publish award-winning books and articles, and shape the future of the field. 

We accept 4 students per year, all of whom receive intensive and highly individualized mentoring and training, as well as 5 years of tuition/fee remission, health insurance, and a stipend.  

The M.A. and Ph.D. Programs in Performance Studies are administered by the Tisch School of the Arts and degrees are conferred by the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU.

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Master of Arts Learning Technology and Experience Design (Formerly Digital Media Design for Learning)

Application extended: still accepting applications, design the learning experiences of the future.

Design and evaluate learning technologies and experiences, drawing from learner-centered design approaches and contemporary theories of learning. Our experiential, project-based curriculum can be customized with specializations and complemented by an internship program, with placement opportunities across varied contexts and job roles.

Degree Details

Official degree title.

Master of Arts in Learning Technology and Experience Design

Formerly known as Digital Media Design for Learning

What You'll Learn

Your academic experience.

Coursework, internships, and your thesis project, along with personalized guidance by our faculty , will prepare you to:

• Learn and employ industry-standard design approaches to ideate, prototype, and iterate on your ideas, including learner-centered and user experience design, participatory design and co-design, as well as design thinking and systems thinking.
• Understand and apply contemporary theories and principles to create and evaluate evidence-based learning technologies and experiences.
• Gain specialized knowledge by pursuing an optional area of focus in User Experience Design, Transformative Learning Design, Learning Analytics and Data Science and Games for Learning; contributing to faculty members' research labs ; and participating in various professional development experiences in and beyond our program.
• Assume roles in design, research, consultancy, and project management in settings including schools, museums, workplaces, research institutions, and ed tech and media companies.

Core Courses and Electives

You will study principles and theoretical perspectives from the learning sciences, cognitive sciences, and human-computer interaction design.

You will apply these perspectives and principles to design impactful learning experiences with technologies including emerging media (AR/VR/MR), web-based tools, social media, games and simulations, mobile devices, tangibles, AI, learning analytics, and more.

Fieldwork and Internships

Our interns gain professional field experience in chosen career areas. You will learn through supervised participation in organizations and companies that are involved in learning experience design, ed tech product design and development, and a wide range of other professional positions and practices. Learn  more about internships for this degree.

Thesis Capstone Project

The thesis capstone is a culminating project in which you will integrate and apply what you have learned to a self-directed project that builds on your interests and experiences. See recent thesis capstone projects .

Specializations

The program offers four optional areas of specialization focused on: User Experience Design, Transformative Learning Design, Learning Analytics and Data Science, and Games for Learning. You will work with your advisor to select a specialization or create a personalized specialization that fits your professional goals and interests. Learn  more about our specializations .

Flexible Study, Part time or Full time

With your faculty advisor's guidance, you can tailor a program of study that fits your professional goals and interests. Additionally, you can choose to complete the program full-time or part-time.

You will have developed the skills and knowledge relevant to thrive in a breadth of career paths, including:

• UX designer and researcher
• Curriculum and instructional designer
• Media Producer
• Learning Analytics and Educational Data Scientist / Educational Researcher
• Educational Technology Coach / Consultant

Students in our program have found employment at various settings, including:

• Educational media and technology companies
• Schools and school districts
• Colleges and universities
• Museums and cultural Institutions
• Educational publishers

Program Benefits for International Students

If you’re an international student, you may be able to work in the United States after graduation for an extended period of time. Most students studying on F-1 visas will be eligible for 12 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) off-campus work authorization. F-1 students in our program may also be eligible for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) OPT extension, allowing you to extend your time in the United States to pursue degree-related work experience for a total of 36 months or 3 years. For more information on who can apply for this extension visit  NYU’s Office of Global Services: STEM OPT .

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Advance your personal and professional journey – apply to join our community of students.

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9 Home Designs That Evoke the Flow of Water

Symbolizing tranquillity and clarity, water is the inspiration behind many brands’ creations.

By Yelena Moroz Alpert

This article is part of our Design special section about water as a source of creativity.

Water is a popular motif with product designers because it symbolizes tranquillity and clarity. But this force of nature also “adds movement, freedom and flow in a space,” said Golnar Roshan, who with her partner, Ruben de la Rive Box, recently introduced a rug collection called Fluid that evokes the moody skies reflected in the canals of Amsterdam, where they live.

“I like to mix worlds that seem far apart, create unexpected connections and imaginative short circuits between things,” Paola Navone, a designer in Milan, said of her collection of new pendant lights with diffusers of milky white or limpid blue glass that visually create an oceanic sway. (The lamps are called Oblò, which is Italian for “porthole.”)

These and other fresh, splashy products are presented here.

The interlocking handblown vases by the Los Angeles artist and designer Mansi Shah — part of her first housewares line, Manu Nanu — fit together like molecules. “The glass itself possesses a water-like quality,” she said, adding that she likes to keep the vases on a windowsill, where sunlight passes through and casts shadows that “dance and shift like ripples.” Available in amber, cobalt blue and teal for $80 . manunanu.com

After producing a ceiling lamp with a bulbous glass filament that rises from the center to evoke a water drop splashing in a pool, Beacon Custom Lighting followed with its Pond decanter. Designed by Dean Maltz, a New York City architect, the handblown carafe is $260. beaconcustomlighting.com

The Chinese American artist Tina Scepanovic discovered what she described as the “hidden power” of water while swimming competitively as a teenager. For her Narcissus catchall, she applied the loose gestures of Chinese brush painting to metal sculpture to encapsulate the object’s qi, or vital energy. “The pool form is a portal into another dimension,” she said. Available in bronze or white brass for $650. oblist.com

“To construct or deconstruct, water is your tool,” said Joseph Algieri, a New York City designer. In his Construction vases, a flood of pigmented foam breaks through the ceramic barriers, defeating any expectation that water should be contained in a vessel. Available for $850. josephalgieri.com

“I am a Pisces and water is my natural element,” said Paola Navone about Oblò, her nautical-inspired lighting for the Italian company Lodes. The pendant lamps are suspended like buoys with “no sense of earth or gravity,” she said. Available in three bulbous shapes and five finishes; price upon request. lodes.com/en/

The Windy collection by Oki Sato, the founder of the Tokyo design studio Nendo, consists of grès porcelain tiles with subtly incised patterns like the marks made by a breeze on the surface of water, rice paddies and grasslands. The tiles, which are produced by Decoratori Bassanesi, come in four patterns and four colors: Rice, Almond, Dolomite and Pepper, at $18 per square foot . decoratoribassanesi.it

Describing the origins of her Fluid rug collection for the Dutch company Moooi, Golnar Roshan of the Amsterdam design firm Rive Roshan recalled that the floor of her canal-side studio “was almost level with the water, a few feet from the front door.” She added, “The way it rippled and reflected the light and the sky had this intriguing influence.” Available in rectangular and circular versions, from $3,250 . moooi.com/us

The Wave series produced by Kast, an English concrete basin company, complements the bathroom’s default theme of water. The curvy fixtures, called Tilde, Dune and Prim, are available in 28 colors — including Storm (blue) and Brick (terra cotta). The Dune basin shown is $3,225. kastconcretebasins.com

The rim of the Tanba basket by Enkay follows the sinuous lines of a river. “Water motifs have an enduring place in interior design because of the softness they bring to spaces, especially as accents,” said the company’s founder, Asha Chaudhary. The baskets are handwoven with ilala palm leaves sourced from Zimbabwe. The small version is 18 inches in diameter and $408. enkay.com

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School of Fashion

Parsons’ School of Fashion leads the industry into a future where access, inclusion, equity, and sustainability are the standard. We cultivate a fashion community within creative, thoughtful, caring, and multidisciplinary learning spaces to foster social, economic, and climate justice. The School of Fashion engages with study across the full spectrum of fashion design and textile design as well as fashion management, communication, and marketing. Our students, faculty, and staff are committed to bringing about lasting change in the industry by supporting Indigenous resurgence; honoring the beauty of all bodies; and living in harmony with animals and the earth in ways that advance climate justice.

School Highlights

Justice-focused practice.

Students’ learning is guided by a commitment to social justice, decolonization, and environmental sustainability. You learn to disrupt hierarchies, colonial systems, and outmoded beauty ideals and body standards, while discovering and reclaiming ethically robust forms of learning and creative expression that foster more just relationships among people and with the world.

Inclusive Approaches

Our work addresses all dimensions of the fashion system. Students develop innovative strategies and design solutions that center the needs and desires of all identities, including plus-size people, people with disabilities, and queer, trans, and non-binary individuals and those of all gender expressions. This approach encourages students to examine social, theoretical, and contextual applications of fashion design, textiles, and management and communication and to challenge fashion’s dominant perceptions and practices, viewing them through their own unique lens.

Research, Theory, and Practice

Our programs are grounded in research-led processes and a critical understanding of the emotional, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions of fashion as well as the global fashion industry’s impact on the environment, society, and business. Students are challenged to engage in transdisciplinary collaboration with other fields of study and students across the school and the university.

Learning from Industry Leaders

The School of Fashion organizes curricular partnerships with fashion companies including Kering, Tory Burch, Ganni, Mara Hoffman, Louis Vuitton, Swarovski, UNIQLO, and Woolmark and organizations such as Special Olympics, the United Nations, Goodwill, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Our network of alumni and industry innovators, such as Olivier Rousteing, Casey Cadwallader, Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren, Yohji Yamamoto, and Diane von Furstenberg, are actively involved in the programs.

Craft and Technology

Students are encouraged to explore the intersection of craft methodologies and digital technology to develop a range of future-facing fashion products, services, and systems. Courses are designed to help students develop new possibilities for fashion design, textile design, and business that employ technology to support more regenerative practices. Design students explore emerging areas of digital fashion design, ancestral textile practices, and new fabrication techniques while business students study the impact of data on industry practice, including product development, local and global production, and supply chain strategies.

NYC: Access to a Global Fashion Center

The dynamic culture of New York City enriches your learning through the diverse perspectives and creative networks it offers you access to. Internships with brands including LVMH, The Row, Issey Miyake,  Vogue , Maison Margiela, and Marc Jacobs enable you to apply your learning and expose you to new industry sectors. After graduation, alumni go on to positions at Bode, Burberry, The Row, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Nike, Theory, Thom Browne, Proenza Schouler, UNIQLO, and many other important firms.

School Values

To create a safe and collaborative school culture, we celebrate the diverse identities, perspectives, experiences, and worldviews of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Decolonization

We challenge and reimagine hierarchies and colonial practices and standards and commit ourselves to ethical modes of learning and expression that foster just relationships with one another and with the planet.

We are at our best when we all can show up as ourselves, learning with empathy, respect, and humility; challenging our biases; and expanding our own awareness while reshaping the prevailing narratives of the fashion industry.

We intentionally broaden access and provide necessary support to groups historically and currently marginalized by fashion education and the industry in order to redistribute power and foster justice. One way we foster access is through the  Parsons Disabled Fashion Student Program , a recruitment, scholarship, and mentorship initiative for Disabled Fashion Design students.

Accountability

We value transparency and strive to learn from our mistakes. We are responsible for our actions, our words, and our impact in the classroom, the community, and the world.

• Fashion Design (AAS)
• Fashion Design (BFA)
• Fashion Design and Society (MFA)
• Fashion Management (MPS)
• Fashion Management Online (MPS)
• Fashion Marketing and Communication (AAS)
• Textiles (MFA)

Student Work

At Parsons, your mentors include celebrated designers, industry changemakers, and creatives who are at the forefront of their industries. Every day, you’ll benefit from their real-world experience and expertise in small collaborative classes. 

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To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduate Aims to Bring Visibility to Indigenous Community Through Fashion

Hareeta Printup ’24 with some of her designs (Photo by Charles Wainwright)

Growing up, Yegunahareeta (Hareeta) Printup ’24 was immersed in the tradition and beauty of Indigenous culture.

Printup, a fashion design major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) , a 2024 VPA Scholar , a Haudenosaunee Promise Scholar and a member of the Tuscarora Nation’s Beaver Clan, was born and raised on the Onondaga Nation, where her maternal grandmother was a faithkeeper. Printup’s parents raised her in the nation’s longhouse in a very traditional way. “I have a lot of memories growing up there,” she says.

She was especially drawn to the music and dance performed during ceremonies to honor their Creator. “It’s the heart and soul of what we do,” Printup says. Although she was an artistic child, her dreams of the future included a range of possible careers, including being a marine biologist.

After graduating from Niagara-Wheatfield High School near Buffalo, New York, she went to community college and dealt with some health challenges. Printup spent some time working, including in Florida, but several circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic, made her think about changing her life’s direction.

Intricate beadwork on a skirt (Photo by Charles Wainwright)

“It really was a blessing in disguise for me because I don’t think I would’ve applied to SU if I didn’t have that moment to reconsider my life,” Printup says. “I was not happy with what I was doing at all.”

Another influence in her decision to go back to school was her dad, Ruchatneet Printup ’23, who decided to return to school and earn a film degree from VPA following nearly three decades in the workforce. “Dad said, ‘Now’s the time, you really should come back to school.’ I really didn’t think I was ever going to do it.”

Hareeta wasn’t sure what she wanted to pursue but realized fashion design was an option. “I thought to myself, ‘This is really something I could do,’” she says. “I’ve always had an interest in clothes, I just never considered it a career path before. It was like all the pieces fell together.”

While clothing with meaning is often seen at Indigenous ceremonies, it is not often seen in everyday life. Printup wants to bring design elements and historical details used and worn by her ancestors and incorporate them into modern and contemporary designs.

“We express ourselves a lot through the jewelry,” Printup says. “But if we had more clothing that had tribal prints, or beadwork or images that reflect us, if we had more options, I think we would lean into that more.”

Hareeta Printup, right, and her dad, Ruchatneet Printup ’23, at this spring’s Senior Fashion Show at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse (Photo courtesy of Hareeta Printup

Printup draws heavily on inspiration from the natural world in her designs. Through her work, she hopes to bring visibility to the Indigenous community. “As Indigenous people, we often find ourselves dressing every day in a manner that does not reflect our Indigenous identities,” she says. “I aspire to create clothes that bring comfortability to my community members and allow them to show up as themselves.”

While Printup found her calling within her studies, adapting to college life during the pandemic was challenging. “It was isolating,” she says of her first year on campus when social distancing was in effect and social activities were restricted. As an older student, she had moments of self-doubt. “I just needed to believe that I could do it,” she says. “I really have treated these four years like they’re my life’s work.”

Printup found a great deal of support from her dad, as the two shared an off-campus apartment during her time at Syracuse. “Honestly, it was awesome. My dad and I are so much alike. We do a lot of the same things, so it really worked out.” As both were engaged in creative studies, dad and daughter often bounced ideas off each other. And dad stepped in to provide support and sage advice when needed.

Hareeta Printup with some of her designs (Photo by Charles Wainwright)

The success Ruchatneet Printup, a University Scholar and VPA Scholar in 2023, enjoyed on campus also inspired his daughter to succeed academically. “I know how great he is, but it was wonderful to see him get the recognition he so deserved,” Hareeta says.

Printup will return to the Buffalo area after graduation. She is excited to see where her journey takes her next. For now, her next big endeavor is becoming a mom. Printup and her partner are expecting their first child—a girl—in August.

“My end goal is to run my own business, to have my own line of clothing,” Printup says. “I really enjoy working with my hands, so as long as I can find something that fulfills me in that way, I’ll be happy.”

What also makes Printup happy is seeing someone wear clothing that she has poured her heart and soul into. “It brings me so much joy, in all honesty. It’s finding myself in the community in a way. Growing up, I was a dancer. I was never the best dancer, but I was out there,” she says. “Now I’m realizing that maybe that’s not my place in the circle. Maybe my place is creating the clothes for the dancer. We all have our places in community, and so I think this is just me making that shift of finding where I belong.”

Kelly Rodoski

• Wasserstrom Prize for Graduate Teaching Presented to Physics Professor Christian Santangelo Monday, May 13, 2024, By Caroline K. Reff
• Sei Whale Death Sparks Conversations About Ecology, Marine Safety Friday, May 10, 2024, By Daryl Lovell
• Graduate Aims to Bring Visibility to Indigenous Community Through Fashion Friday, May 10, 2024, By Kelly Homan Rodoski
• Student Leaders Leondra Tyler ’24 and Omnia Shedid L’24 Make Their Mark on Campus, Plan for the Future (Podcast) Friday, May 10, 2024, By John Boccacino
• 5 Questions for Commencement Speaker Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence, Italy Thursday, May 9, 2024, By News Staff

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New design to replace baltimore’s collapsed francis scott key bridge unveiled.

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A new design for the collapsed Baltimore bridge has been unveiled.

The first proposal for a replacement bridge sees a wider span and improved clearance height to minimize chance of collision.

Italian design firm Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), have worked together with structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and international construction group Webuild on the reconstruction proposal for the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The expanse collapsed on 26 March when container ship MV Dali struck one of its piers.

In a proposal letter to US Secretary of State for Transportation, the Governor of Maryland, and the Director of the Maryland Port Administration, Webuild CEO Pietro Salini wrote: “We at Webuild and our US subsidiary Lane are ready to make ourselves available, to quickly restore this strategic bridge for local mobility.

“We will take part in the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA)’s Virtual Industry Forum for the reconstruction of the bridge, and we are ready to help in any way we can at this stage in the spirit of pro bono service.”

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The design, which follows a cable-stayed approach, improves several functional characteristics of the old bridge to enhance safety and long-term adaptability.

By enlarging the bridge’s main span from 1,200 ft to 2,230 ft (700 m), the primary support pillars will be situated in very shallow water (a depth of approximately 23 ft), well away from the navigation channel used by large vessels.

“This approach aims to ensure that accidents such as the one that occurred last March, causing the former bridge to collapse, will not happen again,” say CRA.

The design also increases clearance from 185 ft to 230 ft (70 m), in accordance with the shipping industry’s latest standards and enables the Port of Baltimore to remain a major international harbour in the years to come.

The concept also proposes a larger roadway, with a new lane added in each direction, to accommodate increased vehicle capacity, addressing the high traffic levels across the bridge.

The project is designed in collaboration with renowned French consulting engineer and designer Michel Virlogeux, who designed several of the world’s most significant cable-stayed bridges, including Lisbon’s Ponto Vasco da Gama and the tallest bridge on Earth, the Millau Viaduct in the Occitania region of France.

The Baltimore design has been developed for the international construction group Webuild, whose Italian branch was responsible for the reconstruction, carried out in record time, of the Ponte Morandi in Genoa, Italy, which collapsed in August 2018 following severe weather.

Carlo Ratti, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding partner of CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, says: “Opting for a cable-stayed solution enables the piles to be positioned at a safe distance, well away from the navigation channel used by large vessels and hence preventing the risk of a tragedy such as the one of March 26 happening again.

“This approach also provides a light-weight solution to reconnect two sides of Baltimore, both socially and economically – what American infrastructure should be striving to do in the 21st century.”

CRA add: “The new bridge will once again be a shining symbol of the city of Baltimore, and of the United States as a whole, marking the entrance to one of the most significant shipping ports on the East Coast.” 

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