The MA History of Design and Curatorial Studies curriculum offers practical and theoretical instruction in researching and displaying interiors and design objects such as furniture, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and works in other media. New courses on curatorial studies and courses exploring the history of design in social and cultural context reflect the program’s broadened scope and relevance. They can also study abroad or pursue their degree at Parsons Paris, benefiting from our relationship with Musée des Arts Décoratifs, our partner museum.
Students complete the 42 required credits in two years of full-time study or three to four years of part-time study. At the renovated Cooper Hewitt, graduate students have opportunities to curate exhibitions, create programming for the public, and produce interpretive materials — all of which provide essential hands-on experience in museum and curatorial practices. Access to the Smithsonian’s Design Library, New School library holdings, and the library consortium enriches object-based research.
This prestigious two-year master’s degree program, which Parsons offers in conjunction with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, brings an object-focused, practice-based approach to the study of European and American decorative arts and design dating from the Renaissance to the present. Housed for more than 30 years at Cooper Hewitt — the only U.S. museum devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design — the program enables students to work directly with the museum’s collections and its curators, conservators, educators, and designers.
This program is part of Parsons’ School of Art and Design History and Theory (ADHT). Learn about the ADHT community and explore our blog to see what students, faculty, and alumni are doing in NYC and around the world.
You can request more information here: http://www.newschool.edu/m/parsons-grad?utm_source=find_a_masters&utm_medium=hyperlink_listing&utm_campaign=pm_parsons_grad
For-credit internships enable students to explore professions in museums, auction houses, and galleries and on new online platforms. Also available are a limited number of master’s curatorial fellowships at Cooper Hewitt, which provide partial tuition remission, as well as tuition support from the Lee B. Anderson Memorial Foundation, whose mission is to support programs that advance the understanding of and appreciation for the decorative arts. In addition, MA students can apply for paid teaching assistantships. Parsons’ School of Art and Design History and Theory (ADHT) programs reflect the faculty’s expertise in areas including art and design methodology and philosophy, design criticism, cultural anthropology, sustainability, and material culture and are designed to provide students with opportunities to take related courses within ADHT. Students can take courses and participate in collaborative projects throughout Parsons and The New School, which open up new topics and areas of investigation in curatorial practice and historical research.
Students graduate prepared to join alumni who work in some of the world’s most prestigious nonprofit, commercial, cultural, and academic institutions. Graduates obtain specialist and management positions in auction houses, museums, and historic houses; enter fields such as criticism and journalism, consulting and e-commerce, and teaching; and pursue advanced study.
You can request more information here: http://www.newschool.edu/m/parsons-grad?utm_source=find_a_masters&utm_medium=hyperlink_listing&utm_campaign=pm_parsons_grad
Offered in cooperation with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and other leading institutions in the field of Art and Design in Paris, the History of Design and Curatorial Studies program* leads to a master of arts degree. Graduates may go on to careers as historians, curators, and scholars in museums, universities, historic houses, auction houses, and galleries.
The program's curriculum focuses on the stylistic, historical, and theoretical contexts of arts, decorative arts, and design from the Renaissance to the present, with particular attention to the history of collections and the contemporary issues in curation. Object-based courses on a broad range of works, movements, theories and practices go beyond connoisseurship to address objects as intersections of socio-historic meaning and aesthetic theory. Students gain practical and theoretical instruction in research on and the display of design objects.
The program's Paris home, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, is the only museum in France devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design. Most classes are held inside the museum, where students meet and work with renowned curators, designers, collectors, and scholars. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is housed in a wing of the Palais du Louvre. Students can also take advantage of nearby museums, such as the Musée du Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Centre Georges Pompidou, and the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine.
In the program, students become familiar with French language and culture. Parsons Paris offers numerous opportunities to achieve this goal, including language classes, field trips, and a dedicated French Grad Reading class running throughout the curriculum. Students also gain hands-on experience in French museum practices and procedures; they will be encouraged to pursue for-credit internships in museums, galleries, auction house archives, and historic houses around the city.
You can request more information here: http://www.newschool.edu/m/parsons-paris?utm_source=find_a_masters&utm_medium=hyperlink_listing&utm_campaign=pm_parsons_paris&utm_term=paris_grad
In collaboration with the Parsons Paris Gallery and partner programs or institutions, graduate students regularly undertake curatorial projects throughout their education. While developing exhibitions, students gain experience working in teams, putting theoretical and historical knowledge into practice, and dealing with both conceptual and practical issues in curation. After a range of experiences during their first year, graduate students are invited to undertake and manage a collective exhibition. This project will serve as a culmination of their studies and provide them with the extensive experience needed to enter the professional world of exhibitions, galleries, museums, and other cultural venues.
The MA in History of Design and Curatorial Studies is also offered in New York, in partnership with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The Paris and New York campuses have the same application process and curriculum, so students have the opportunity to begin their study in one city and take a semester or year in the other. Parsons' long-standing relationships with cultural institutions in New York create opportunities for students there to engage in a unique learning experience that draws on the many collections, archives, and galleries in the city.
You can request more information here: http://www.newschool.edu/m/parsons-paris?utm_source=find_a_masters&utm_medium=hyperlink_listing&utm_campaign=pm_parsons_paris&utm_term=paris_grad
