The department houses programs focused on exposing and preparing pre-college, college, and adult students for degree level study in art and design. Through rigorous courses in Summer Intensive Studies, Parsons Pre-College Academy, and the Summer Orientation Program for International Students, students are exposed to the potential role of design in their life and society.
This year-round studio art and design program serves students in grades 4 through 12.
Courses in drawing, painting, animation design, architecture, digital design, fashion design, illustration, interior design, portfolio development, product design, and graphic design build observational drawing skills and introduce students to the design process through interdisciplinary conceptual problems. Classes meet on Saturday mornings in eleven-week fall and spring sessions. In the summer, the Academy offers two-week intensives on a Monday through Friday schedule.
Each summer over 650 talented high school, college, and adult students from around the world and with widely differing backgrounds come to Parsons to experience rigorous, full-time study and earn college credit. The program introduces students to the intellectual and technical rigors of professional art and design training. Whether in New York or Paris, the urban fabric of these cities and the resources of Parsons enrich and inspire these exceptional academic programs. Classes meet full-time Monday through Friday in four-week sessions.
Each summer, Parsons welcomes over 100 international students for an eight-week pre-enrollment program focused on strengthening English language skills through design contexts. These undergraduate and graduate degree candidates spend the summer exploring Parsons, investigating New York, and gathering the requisite tools to achieve academic success when they enter full-time degree programs in the fall.
