Transdisciplinary Design (MFA)

Required application materials

1. Application Form: Complete the online application. All applicants are required to apply online.
2. Application Fee: A nonrefundable $50 application fee paid as part of the online application. A $15 SlideRoom fee is also required.
3. Transcripts
4. Résumé: Submit a brief résumé/curriculum vitae summarizing your academic qualifications, relevant work experience, volunteer/community work, travel, exhibitions, public speaking, or any other relevant experiences as they may relate to your field of study, including dates and positions held. Please also note any special language or computer skills that you have.
5. Statement of Interest and Intentions: Please outline your reasons for applying to this program. In what ways will you contribute to the subject matter of the program? You should include a thoughtful description of your background, tentative plan of study or area of inquiry in the field as you now envision it, your professional goals, and how this graduate program will help you realize those goals. If you have not been enrolled as a student in the past five years, please address anticipated opportunities and challenges in pursuing the degree, and future career expectations upon completion of the program. (500-750-word limit)
6. Recommendation Letters: You are required to submit two letters of recommendation from faculty or people with whom you have worked professionally. Recommenders can submit recommendations online; instructions are included with the online application. If preferred, the recommendation form can instead be sent by mail in a signed, sealed envelope. To send by mail, download the PDF recommendation form found in the online application, complete the personal information, save the form, and forward it to the recommender for completion and submission. Applicants can also send signed and sealed recommendations to the Office of Admission using an Application Materials Cover Sheet.
7. Portfolio: The portfolio must be completed in SlideRoom only. Submit a portfolio of up to 40 items or works that best document your design work and process. These may include design drawings, scenarios, research outcomes, photography, video clips, websites, blog URLs, essays, or other formats that you feel best convey your work and process. Where possible, please include descriptions of the projects, explanations of your role in the project (if it is team-based), or a thoughtful description of the context of the project. If you have dynamic media or other time-based work, you can also upload it using SlideRoom.
8. Test Scores:TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE: All applicants whose first language is not English must submit valid TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. The minimum score required for TOEFL (IB) is 92, for IELTS is 7.0, and for PTE is 63. Our TOEFL institution code is 2638.
   

   A TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE test score is not required for applicants

   • Whose primary language is English
   • Who have earned a four-year degree from a U.S. college/university or from a university where English is the primary language of instruction

   Upon review of your application, the Office of Admission reserves the right to request a TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE test score.

   Arrange for the testing service to send your test scores directly to The New School using the codes listed above. We accept scores from the past two years. If your scores are older, you must retake the test. For more information, visit TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE.
   Applicants also have the option of enrolling in The New School English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Students must pass Level 6 in order to waive the TOEFL/IELTS/PTE requirement. Visit the ESL website for more information.
9. Interview: You will be contacted if you are required to participate in an in-person or phone interview, as may be determined upon review of your application.