Bachelor of Social Practice at The New School

The New School

United States of America, New York City

University Rank:#801

The New School offers the Bachelor of Social Practice as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its main campus in New York City, United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 4 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for social practice and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on August 28, 2027.

About Bachelor of Social Practice

The Social Practice minor is offered through Parsons School of Design.

This minor provides a pathway for undergraduate students to pursue socially engaged projects that initiate exchange, envision new social relations, and provoke individual/collective actions. This is an invitation to blur the lines between object making, performance, political activism, community organizing, guerrilla architecture, environmentalism, and investigative journalism. This approach to art making fosters collaboration between artists and broader publics. Drawing on the strengths of The New School's history of engagement with social justice, the Social Practice minor taps into our faculty's diverse fieldwork, exposing students to multidisciplinary methodologies for their own research. A progression of lab and studio seminars provides models for developing media strategies and forms of social cooperation. This minor will prepare students to conceptualize participatory projects, articulate narratives, position themselves ethically, and cultivate networks that support poetic and political visions.

Examples of social practice include Theaster Gates' Dorchester Projects (winner of the New School's inaugural Vera List Center Prize), Mel Chin's Fundred Dollar Project, Estudio Teddy Cruz's Casa Familiar: Living Rooms at the Border, and Jeanne van Heeswijk's Freehouse.

Course availability may vary from semester to semester. Some courses may be in development and offered at a later time. Students seeking to pursue alternative coursework to fulfill the minor should consult with their advisors.

This minor provides a pathway for students to pursue socially engaged projects that initiate exchange, envision new social relations, and provoke individual/collective actions. Projects blur the lines between object making, performance, political activism, community organizing, guerrilla architecture, environmentalism, and investigative journalism. This minor prepares students to conceptualize participatory projects, articulate narratives, position themselves ethically, and cultivate networks that support poetic and political visions.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Social Practice at The New School

Entry Requirements

Admission Requirements: International applicants are required to follow all admission procedures for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Please pay special attention to the transcript requirements for applicants with foreign credentials.
Transcripts: Review the admission procedures for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Please pay special attention to the transcript requirements for applicants with foreign credentials.
TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE, Cambridge English, or Duolingo: A TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, Cambridge English, or Duolingo score is not required for applicants whose primary language is English or 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. Test score requirements are outlined in the application instructions.
English Language Writing Diagnostic Examination: At Orientation, The New School for Social Research will administer an English Language Writing Diagnostic Examination to all newly enrolling international students who do not meet the criteria for exemption from the TOEFL requirement. Based on the results of this examination, students may be asked to take a supplemental writing course at no cost. The New School maintains the right to require English proficiency testing when deemed necessary.

English Requirements

PTEMin 68
IELTSMin 7.5
TOEFLMin 100

Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Social Practice at The New School

Application Fee 50

How to Apply for Bachelor of Social Practice at The New School

Select your college. Not sure which college at The New School is right for you? Explore your options.
Follow the specific application instructions. Once you've selected your college, review the application instructions and requirements for your program of interest.
Complete the application for your intended degree. If you're applying to a bachelor's degree program at Parsons School of Design, Parsons Paris, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, or the School of Drama, you should submit the Common Application. If you're applying to an associate's degree program at Parsons School of Design or to the Adult Bachelor's Program, you should submit The New School’s Online Application. If you're a former New School student applying for readmission to your former program, you should submit the Application for Readmission. If you're a current New School student applying to a different New School college, you should submit the Internal Transfer Application. Visiting students can find more information on how to apply on our Visiting Students website.
Check your application status. Log in to your Admission Hub to check the status of your application materials. Applications become complete and ready for review once all required items have been received by the Office of Admission. Allow at least ten days from the date you submitted your application for the application materials checklist to appear. After reviewing your checklist in the Admission Hub, follow up with schools and recommenders to confirm that your transcripts, recommendations, and other materials have been sent to us.

Bachelor of Social Practice at The New School

The New School

United States of America, New York City