Strategic Design and Management

Course Overview

Led by a world-class faculty, the Strategic Design and Management program at The New School is both academically rigorous and practice-oriented, providing hands-on learning experiences. Students can complete the MS entirely on campus or online, or in a blended learning format. Design thinking in global contextsThe MS in Strategic Design and Management responds to the major restructuring of economies worldwide. The program brings together design thinking ' tools borrowed from studio practice and applied broadly, such as ideation, prototyping, design research and ethnography, and collaborative work ' and service design and sustainability frameworks. Strategic Design and Management graduate students focus on the evolving global economy and are exposed to sophisticated real-world perspectives on strategy, sustainability, management, leadership, entrepreneurship, and design innovation and research. Real-world focusA 36-credit program, Strategic Design and Management coursework incorporates cutting-edge analyses of the new economy, which help students develop new business models and organizational designs for creative and other industries. These classes provide hands-on experience in designing, managing, and improving many types of firms, including design-intensive and creative businesses. Studios enable students to apply their course learning to projects and prepare for industry and consulting jobs. Parsons also offers an 18-credit graduate certificate in Business of Design. Global executive optionAn executive version of the MS Strategic Design and Management program is also available. It is structured as a series of six three-day seminars held at the Parsons Paris campus, combined with online learning, hands-on studios, and global experiences in New York and Shanghai. Courses are taken one at a time, and the full program takes about 18 months to complete. Tailored to working professionalsWith evening and online classes, this flexible graduate program is well suited to early- to mid-career professionals seeking to complement their design and business expertise with professional application. The program connects students to the broader intellectual community of Parsons and the other schools and research centers of The New School. Housed in the School of Design Strategies at Parsons, the program is part of a leading urban university known for its courses on design thinking, organizational management, nonprofit management, sustainability management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Parsons is home to the ELab, a design led business lab dedicated to entrepreneurial practice and research. ELab currently offers four programs, spanning from an alumni mentorship program to 3, 9, and 12 month fellowship, incubator, and accelerator options. Future opportunitiesGraduates are well positioned for careers in business, sustainability management, innovation, social enterprise, strategic and service design, and entrepreneurship.