About
Overview
Mission and Vision
Leadership
History
Accreditation
Contact Us
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 U.S. design school and top ranked globally. Our programs deliver a uniquely interdisciplinary education enriched by the resources of New York City.
Learn more
- Related Links
- Find Your Program
Academics
Overview
Undergraduate
Graduate
Associate's Degrees for Professionals
Internships
Industry Engagement
Study Abroad
Advising
Making and Academic Resources
Online Programs and Courses
Executive Education
Continuing Education
Intensives and Summer Programs
Youth and Pre-College Programs
Visiting Students
Parsons offers rigorous interdisciplinary programs across the spectrum of art and design, from fashion and technology to urban design, fine art, and management. Here, creators and scholars master established disciplines and develop emerging ones, fostering innovation that transforms business, advances sustainability, and enhances social impact and health.
Learn More
- Related Links
- Find Your Program
Faculty
Overview
Faculty Stories
Parsons faculty comprises world-renowned artists, scholars, and practitioners who lead their industries and academic fields. You work closely with them, benefitting from their scholarship and professional experience and networks. Our small class sizes enable you to benefit from their real-world experience and industry access.
Learn More
- Related Links
- Find Your Program
Our Work
Overview
Centers, Institutes & Labs
Parsons re:D
Beautiful, provocative, transformative, and boundary-breaking: The creative outpouring of Parsons’ students and faculty is as diverse as our community itself. Uniting it all is a commitment to reflective process and the understanding of the power of art and design to bring about needed change in the world.
Our Work
- Related Links
- Find Your Program
Student Life
Overview
Meet Our Students
Housing and Dining
Your New Community
International Student Resources
Weekly Newsletter
Our school is animated by progressive creativity, activism, and its setting within a dynamic urban environment and university. Parsons is where ambition, ingenuity, and collaboration tirelessly converge, and New York City is the ideal setting for starting your journey.
Explore More
- Related Links
- Find Your Program
After Parsons
Overview
Notable Alumni
Success Stories
Career Services
At Parsons, your career begins your first day on campus. Here, you gain the creative and critical foundation you need to turn passions into a professional life of your own design. With your toolkit of hands-on, collaborative methods and global support network, you enter prepared for sustained success in your field or in advanced studies.
See more
- Related Links
- Find Your Program
Admissions and Aid
Overview
How to Apply (Undergraduate)
How to Apply (Graduate)
How to Apply (Associate's Degrees)
International Students
Transfer Students
Tuition and Fees
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Undergraduate Admission Events
Graduate Admission Events
Contact Us
Parsons welcomes applicants who seek a rigorous education in an environment where creativity, critical thinking, and global perspectives thrive together. If you are ready to take first steps toward your creative education and career, you have come to the right place. Learn more about visiting, applying to, and attending our school.
See more
- Related Links
- Find Your Program

Brendan McCarthy

The Lifeguard Project: Act 1: Scene 2

The Lifeguard Project: Act 1: Scene 2 is a sculpture/installation exploring notions of protection. Inspired by childhood interactions with lifeguards—who guard much more than lives as they oversee the interpersonal dynamics of a local pool—the piece was conceived as a lifeguard stand for McCarthy’s father’s study—a guardian to protect his favorite piece of art, a drawing of a horse.

Program Details

Inspired by this work? Explore program features, curriculum, faculty, and more.

Fine Arts (MFA)

Take The Next Step

Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy

The New School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.