graphic design phd programs

Graphic Design Graduate Programs in America

1-25 of 37 results

Harvard Graduate School of Design

• Cambridge, MA ·
• Harvard University ·
• Graduate School
• · Rating 4.29 out of 5   7 reviews

Harvard University, Graduate School, CAMBRIDGE, MA. 7 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says Great survey of urban planning if you have no prior background in architecture or urban studies; cohort skews younger (early to mid twenties) so might be an adjustment for older students with more... Read 7 reviews.

Roski School of Art and Design

• Los Angeles, CA ·
• University of Southern California ·

University of Southern California, Graduate School, LOS ANGELES, CA.

Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts

• Pittsburgh, PA ·
• Carnegie Mellon University ·
• · Rating 3.67 out of 5   6 reviews

Blue checkmark. Carnegie Mellon University, Graduate School, PITTSBURGH, PA. 6 Niche users give it an average review of 3.7 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says I graduated from the School of Design at the College of Fine Arts. This is one best design program at a major research university. The cross disciplinary approach, and ability to take courses at... Read 6 reviews.

Suffolk University

• Graduate School ·
• · Rating 4.56 out of 5   18

School of Christian Studies and the Arts - Mississippi College

• Mississippi College ·
• CLINTON, MS

College of Arts and Sciences - Suffolk University

• Suffolk University ·

College of the Arts - University of Florida

• Gainesville, FL ·
• University of Florida ·
• · Rating 4 out of 5   1 review

Blue checkmark. University of Florida, Graduate School, GAINESVILLE, FL. 1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars. Featured Review: Alum says Being an art student at the University of Florida is a mix of highs and lows. On the bright side, the classes are diverse, the professors are knowledgeable, and the facilities are top-notch, which... Read 1 reviews.

College of Fine Arts - Boston University

• Boston, MA ·
• Boston University ·

Boston University, Graduate School, BOSTON, MA.

University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences

• Seattle, WA ·
• University of Washington ·

University of Washington, Graduate School, SEATTLE, WA.

• Find college scholarships

Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts

• Syracuse, NY ·
• Syracuse University ·
• · Rating 5 out of 5   1 review

Syracuse University, Graduate School, SYRACUSE, NY. 1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says It has been amazing. All my teacher’s are supportive and giving me the tools to succeed in my future career. They know about outside opportunities I should follow as well. It is fantastic and I love... Read 1 reviews.

Rhode Island School of Design

• Providence, RI ·
• · Rating 4.33 out of 5   6 reviews

Blue checkmark. Graduate School, PROVIDENCE, RI. 6 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says Great! Challenging school with amazing professors who care about their students. Has amazing resources and funding. Read 6 reviews.

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - University of Denver

• Denver, CO ·
• University of Denver ·

Blue checkmark. University of Denver, Graduate School, DENVER, CO.

Rochester Institute of Technology - College of Art and Design

• Rochester, NY ·
• Rochester Institute of Technology ·

Blue checkmark. Rochester Institute of Technology, Graduate School, ROCHESTER, NY. 1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars. Featured Review: Other says I ONLY WISH THE TEACHERS WERE MORE ENAGAGE WITH STUDENTS AND HELPING TO ACQUIRE INTERNSHIPS OR WORK STUDY PROGARAMS IN THIS FIELD OF WORK ITS ALL ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS Read 1 reviews.

College of Arts and Humanities - University of Central Florida

• Orlando, FL ·
• University of Central Florida ·

University of Central Florida, Graduate School, ORLANDO, FL.

School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) - University of Texas - Dallas

• Richardson, TX ·
• University of Texas - Dallas ·

Blue checkmark. University of Texas - Dallas, Graduate School, RICHARDSON, TX.

• Sponsored Find Student Loan Options
• Industrial and Product Design Graduate Programs
• Fashion and Apparel Design Graduate Programs

Tyler School of Art and Architecture

• Philadelphia, PA ·
• Temple University ·

Temple University, Graduate School, PHILADELPHIA, PA.

College of Fine Arts- Ohio University

• Athens, OH ·
• Ohio University ·
• · Rating 5 out of 5   2 reviews

Ohio University, Graduate School, ATHENS, OH. 2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars. Featured Review: Niche User says Students are encouraged to teach undergraduate students and lead classes of their own during their time in graduate school. Graduate students seem to enjoy this more interactive experience. Read 2 reviews.

College of Visual and Performing Arts - George Mason University

• Arlington, VA ·
• George Mason University ·

George Mason University, Graduate School, ARLINGTON, VA.

College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts - University of Illinois at Chicago

• Chicago, IL ·
• University of Illinois Chicago ·

University of Illinois Chicago, Graduate School, CHICAGO, IL.

• Clinton, MS ·

Blue checkmark. Mississippi College, Graduate School, CLINTON, MS.

Western Washington University

• Bellingham, WA ·
• · Rating 4.26 out of 5   23 reviews

Graduate School, BELLINGHAM, WA. 23 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Other says I feel that It will be great because is the career that I love. I haven't been in the course yet since I will be starting on FALL 2024. Read 23 reviews.

College of Arts and Letters - Missouri State University

• Springfield, MO ·
• Missouri State University ·

Missouri State University, Graduate School, SPRINGFIELD, MO.

ArtCenter College of Design

• Pasadena, CA ·
• · Rating 4.57 out of 5   7 reviews

Graduate School, PASADENA, CA. 7 Niche users give it an average review of 4.6 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says I haven't started the program yet, but through extensive research, I've found it to be one of the best options available. Numerous reviews and testimonials from current and past participants... Read 7 reviews.

Division of Humanities & the Arts - CUNY City College of New York

• New York, NY ·
• CUNY City College of New York ·

CUNY City College of New York, Graduate School, NEW YORK, NY. 1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says The psychology program at CUNY City College of New York continues to surprise me with interesting classes like Gender and Psychology as well as Trauma and resilience. It shows the deep and diversity... Read 1 reviews.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

• Minneapolis, MN ·
• · Rating 4.75 out of 5   8 reviews

Blue checkmark. Graduate School, MINNEAPOLIS, MN. 8 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says Although my degree (sustainable design) is fully online, the curriculum is very hands-on and encourages students to incorporate the real-world and our community action into our education. I... Read 8 reviews.

Blue checkmark. Suffolk University, Graduate School, BOSTON, MA.

Southern Adventist University

• Collegedale, TN ·
• · Rating 4.67 out of 5   6 reviews

Graduate School, COLLEGEDALE, TN. 6 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars. Featured Review: Other says Southern Adventist University has an amazing fine art program. Professors meet with students one by one, letting students know what areas can grow, and help build a strong portfolio. The fine arts... Read 6 reviews.

Maryland Institute College of Art

• Baltimore, MD ·
• · Rating 4.58 out of 5   24 reviews

Graduate School, BALTIMORE, MD. 24 Niche users give it an average review of 4.6 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says Three year low residency vigorous, intense, and comprehensive. Lots of freedom to explore multiple disciplines. Critiques take center stage, especially during the winter session when one's work away... Read 24 reviews.

Showing results 1 through 25 of 37

• University Home
• Parsons School of Design
• Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
• College of Performing Arts
• The New School for Social Research
• Schools of Public Engagement
• Parsons Paris
• Current Students
• News & Events

Creative professionals in the 21st century navigate a networked global culture. Our cross-disciplinary programs based in advanced studio practice and research prepare you for a future that doesn’t yet exist. You benefit from small seminars and studios and work closely with faculty to plan an individualized study path. Our labs and research institutes facilitate collaboration with peers throughout The New School, and our NYC setting connects you to unique learning opportunities outside the classroom.

Graduate Programs

Architecture (march).

This three-year NAAB-accredited program combines contemporary studio practice with the study of design history and theory, technology, and representation. Students are encouraged to experiment with the logic of building in diverse cultural and environmental contexts. Graduates typically open their own practices or join prominent firms or design and planning organizations worldwide.

Career Opportunities

• Architecture
• Engineering
• Urban Planning
• Landscape Design
• Interior Design
• Historic Preservation
• Read more at Parsons

Architecture and Lighting Design (MArch/MFA)

This unique four-year graduate program combines Parsons' NAAB-accredited MArch with an MFA in Lighting Design. Graduates typically open their own architecture or interior design studios, join prominent international design firms, or go to work for engineering or specialty lighting companies and lighting manufacturers.

• Lighting Design
• Read More at Parsons

Communication Design (MPS)

This one-year, 30-credit program, with a concentration in Digital Product Design, combines instruction in advanced interaction design with coursework that develops your user-experience, design-thinking, and collaboration abilities. You graduate with industry-ready conceptual and front-end development skills and a network of design professionals to help you enter or advance in a rapidly growing field.

• Interaction Design
• User Experience (UX) Design
• Digital Product Design
• Product Management

Data Visualization (MS)

This master's degree program brings together design, statistics, and computer science, giving you the skills you need to be competitive in a data-driven world. You acquire the creative and analytic competencies needed for data visualization and the understanding necessary to combine visual design, digital technologies, and quantitative reasoning. You graduate with the ability to build digital tools that reflect an understanding of data analysis and visualization for varied applications.

• Data Analysis
• Digital Design
• Business Consulting and Analytics Strategy
• Strategic Planning
• Entrepreneurship
• Social Enterprise
• Public Policy
• Trend Forecasting
• Business Intelligence

Design & Technology (MFA)

Students in this studio-based graduate program investigate visual, interactive, and narrative aspects of design technology, with an emphasis on software programming and computation. The curriculum draws on history, politics, economics, psychology, ergonomics, and other disciplines. Typical projects involve interaction design, game design, digital fabrication, Web and mobile apps, and new media art, data visualization, and critical design.

• Mobile and Application Design
• Web/UI/UX Design
• New Media Art
• Game Design
• Motion Graphics
• 2D and 3D Animation
• Digital Filmmaking

Design & Urban Ecologies (MS)

This studio-based graduate program radically reframes the study of cities. Students gain a broad understanding of the economic, political, social, environmental, and physical forces influencing urban growth and develop strategic proposals for more cohesive and socially responsible urban development.

• Urban Design
• Environmental Enterprises
• Community Organizing
• Nonprofit Management

Fashion Design & Society (MFA)

This studio-based graduate program prepares designers to face the challenges of today's fashion industry. The curriculum is aimed at educating designers to be sophisticated entrepreneurs, educators, and engaged global citizens. Connections with the international design community and industry partners prepare students for a broad range of careers.

• Fashion Design
• Gallery Management
• Museum Administration
• writing-fundamentals

Fashion Management (MPS)

The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Fashion Management is designed for students who want to advance and transform their careers in the evolving fashion business landscape. This one-year program consists of a series of intensive course modules in which students learn to combine creativity and commerce to become tomorrow’s fashion business leaders. Students can complete the program in person in New York City or online from anywhere in the world while benefiting from the networks and leaders of the New York City fashion industry.

• Fashion Marketing
• Merchandising
• Advertising

Fashion Studies (MA)

In this groundbreaking research-based program — offered in New York City and at Parsons Paris — fashion is studied as object, image, text, practice, theory, and concept. Students develop a critical understanding of its connections to personal and social identity and to world history and culture.

• Fashion Archiving
• Media and Consulting
• Read more at Parsons Paris

Fine Arts (MFA)

Students in Parsons' MFA in Fine Arts develop the formal, intellectual, and conceptual aspects of their art and acquire the professional knowledge and experience necessary to make a career as a visual artist. The curriculum combines studio, theory, and professional practice classes for students working in a wide range of media, such as performance, sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, installation, and video. Students have access to a variety of exhibition venues in New York City and to fellowships and residencies through faculty and institutional networks.

• Arts Administration
• Museum Management
• Art Criticism

History of Design & Curatorial Studies (MA)

This master's degree is offered in New York City and at the Parsons Paris campus. In either city, students work directly with museum staff and collections of major decorative arts and design institutions. The NYC-based program is jointly administered with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, which is devoted to the study of curatorial practice and decorative arts and design from the Renaissance to the present. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is the program's Paris partner. Students can also spend a semester or a year studying at the other campus, taking advantage of the resources of another cultural capital.

• Auction House Management
• Private Collection Consulting

Industrial Design (MFA)

This innovative graduate program prepares designers to negotiate the seemingly contradictory forces at play at all scales of the growing field of product design and making. You critically engage with issues such as economical production and sustainability, consumerism and social and environmental betterment, and global and local production, investigating ways to integrate these considerations and improve industry, human life, and the planet.

• Industrial Design
• Product Development
• Manufacturing
• Furniture Design
• Humanitarian and Service Design
• Design Management
• Architectural Building Systems

Interior Design (MFA)

Students in this graduate studio program incorporate sustainable design practices and enhanced building performance into innovative designs that consider the relationship of human perception and factors to the built interior. Graduates go on to work in established design and architecture studios, develop new design practices, serve as institutional consultants, and teach the next generation of practitioners.

• Sustainable Design

Lighting Design (MFA)

This master's program explores theory and technical applications in the design of natural and artificial lighting, with attention to social and environmental factors such as energy conservation.

• Architectural and Interior Lighting Design
• Theatrical Lighting
• Exhibition Lighting
• Equipment Design and Manufacturing

Photography (MFA)

The graduate program in Photography is a 21st-century think tank that reflects the evolving role of photography in contemporary media. Students develop an individual vision in a collaborative interdisciplinary environment and master the language of photography and the technology driving it. Faculty and institutional networks help students make valuable connections in their fields.

• Commercial Photography
• Editorial Photography
• Fashion Photography
• Documentary Production

Strategic Design & Management (MS)

This rigorous industry-focused program prepares managers to launch and lead design process–driven organizations in the complex global economy. The curriculum combines business seminars and design courses. It can be completed either online or on campus in New York City. Graduates launch careers in industries in which sustainability management, business innovation, and design thinking are emphasized.

• Sustainability Management

Strategic Design for Global Leadership (MS)

Academically rigorous and industry-focused, the Master of Science in Strategic Design for Global Leadership is specially designed for experienced working professionals and entrepreneurs eager to transform their approach to business. The flexible 18-month program combines online learning with on-site intensives in Paris, New York, and Asia and culminates in a Master of Science degree from Parsons School of Design in New York.

Textiles (MFA)

This graduate program invites makers, designers, and scholars to explore a range of textiles—from locally crafted materials to 3D printed matter to embellished fabrics—and engage with textile-based industries and theory. You graduate prepared for the growing array of creative, technological, and professional opportunities related to textiles.

• Textile Design
• Textiles Research
• Design Journalism

Transdisciplinary Design (MFA)

This studio program combines social science theories with art and design methodologies to creatively address social, economic, political, and environmental issues. The program challenges students to thoroughly rethink traditional work paradigms, moving beyond functional or narrowly professional roles. The curriculum integrates research and an action-oriented approach, fostering a critical praxis through collective fabulation, strategic proposition, and aesthetic exploration.

• Research and teaching in art, design, and the social sciences
• Consulting for change and transformation
• Community organizing and activism
• Art and design studio practice

Unsure which program is right for you? Use our program finder tool to explore, compare, and choose a program that matches your interests and goals. Explore with Program Finder

The New School Benefit

• Explore The New School

Graduate Minors

Parsons offers an array of graduate minors designed to broaden your skills and expand your career options. These structured study pathways immerse you in disciplines outside of your primary field and expose you to new ideas and alternative modes of research and practice.

Parsons graduate faculty comprises world-renowned scholars and practitioners who lead their industries and academic fields. You work closely with them, benefitting from their scholarship and professional experience and networks.

• Meet our faculty

RMIT-Parsons PhD Collaboration

A new practice-based research doctoral program—offered collaboratively by Parsons and Melbourne, Australia–based RMIT—enables practitioners to broaden their academic and professional horizons. Students matriculate through RMIT’s Practice Research PhD program and pursue research at Parsons School of Design in NYC to earn their RMIT degree.

Beyond the Classroom

Internships

New York City’s thriving creative industry and cultural institutions are part of your Parsons education. Our Career Services Office is enmeshed in the art and design industries and can help you advance your career with industry-oriented internships.

Funded Opportunities

Funds earmarked for graduate travel, research, and work support your study. Opportunities include paid teaching assistantships, research fellowships and assistantships (including ones offered throughout The New School), ample student employment, and other grants available to U.S. domestic and international students alike.

Industry Engagement

Connect to the organizations, businesses, and entrepreneurs driving global creativity and commerce. In classes, internships, and extracurricular projects, you gain marketable problem solving skills in sectors ranging from government and nonprofits to tech and creative industries.

Research Labs

Research is integral to the Parsons learning experience, and students and faculty work together to challenge existing paradigms and advance emerging scholarship and practice. Explore the thematic research laboratories housed at Parsons and throughout The New School.

Making & Academic Resources

As a Parsons student, you enjoy access to extensive resources including New School libraries, computer labs, archives, and studios, along with Parsons’ state-of-the-art Making Center, facilities offering a broad array of tools to support your creative and academic growth.

Academic Advising

Advising ensures that your studies and the professional skills you develop on campus take you toward your goals. Academic and career advisors assist throughout your journey, from orientation to the job search. They help you explore opportunities, make informed decisions, and prepare for life after Parsons, including completing all requirements.

Take The Next Step

• Request Info

Submit your application

Undergraduates.

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.