Your Path to an Interior Design MFA
Pratt offers two paths to the MFA, and each fully prepares you for a successful career in practice or in academia. A 60-credit degree can be obtained in as little as two years for those with previous design degrees in interior design or architecture.
For those without a design degree, a 24-credit Core year is required before the start of the 60-credit curriculum. The Core year provides you with the tools and skills necessary to successfully engage with the curriculum in a way specific to your life experience.
A Personal, Curated Education
Through one-on-one advising you have the opportunity to create a unique and personal curriculum by curating your degree with options studios, labs, and electives of your choosing. You can individualize your studies with areas of concentration:
- emerging technologies
- ecological/sustainable environments
- theory and criticism
- exhibition design
You can also create a self-designed concentration, resulting in a truly unique educational experience.
“I once saw a quote at a design event that said, ‘MFA is the new MBA,’ and honestly, I think there’s some truth to that. My training at Pratt and my experience as a designer gave me the skills to handle so many different aspects of this process, almost effortlessly.”
Elle Liu, BID ’15; MFA Interior Design ’19
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Our Faculty: Learn from Leaders, Build Your Network
Our faculty includes globally renowned and award-winning practicing professionals and academics. They bring evolving ideas, methods, and provocations directly into the classroom, ensuring you engage with the present and the future of the industry, impacting both practice and theory. From day one, you will learn from the best while building your professional network.
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Adrien Allred
Adjunct Associate Professor; Pre-College Lecturer
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Tania Branquinho
Assistant Chairperson-Interior Design; Adjunct Assistant Professor
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Anne Coggan Crawford
Associate Professor; SCPS Lecturer
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David Ling
Visiting Associate Professor
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Ashely Kuo
Visiting Assistant Professor
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John Nafziger
Adjunct Associate Professor
NYC—The Global Design Capital
Brooklyn is one of the most dynamic and creative ecosystems in the world—providing access, inspiration, and opportunities beyond the studio. Beyond our lush campus, you will be immersed in a city of design, surrounded by leading firms, showrooms, galleries, museums, and Brooklyn’s burgeoning maker-based communities fostering innovation across disciplines and blending emerging technologies with deep traditions of craft.
Design as a Force for Good
We believe design is a force for good, an optimistic act with the potential to foster meaningful change. Engage regularly with communities beyond campus and leverage design as a tool for meaningful change. Tackle real-world challenges through studio classes and coursework that connect you to our partners throughout New York City.
Past collaborating organizations include:
- RETI Blue Island
- The Gotham Arts Academy
- East Williamsburg Scholars Academy
- New York City Housing Authority
- El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice High School
Curricular Information
Making as Thinking: Our Studio Culture
Making is central to how ideas take shape and evolve. Our studio culture embodies a philosophy where hands-on investigation and critical dialogue drive your creative practice.
Hands-On Exploration
Work directly with the tools that support hands-on investigation in our extensive digital and analog production facilities. Test and refine your ideas—from early studies to full-scale work—through sketching, drawing, modeling, and building. This iterative practice is fueled by physical engagement, critical curiosity, and ongoing dialogue with faculty and peers.
Collaborative Inquiry
Aligned with the School of Design’s philosophy, the design studio here is more than a physical space; it’s an embodied approach to creativity. Instead of seeking “right” or “wrong” answers, you will focus on active discussion, crafting thoughtful, research-driven, and imaginative responses that reflect critical thinking. You’ll gain insights from faculty while deeply engaging with the collaborative and exploratory nature of studio dynamics.
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Sustainability and material exploration drive our passion for making. With production labs in the Juliana Curran Terian Design Center and the nearby Engineering Building, you have easy access to the tools and resources you need to build, test, fabricate, and explore your design proposals in analog or digital form, in 2D, 3D, or 4D.
International Engagement
Study abroad courses of varied lengths are offered as electives in the summer and occasionally throughout the year. Locations include Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Japan, Portugal, Rwanda, and Spain. These programs allow you to study, create, and explore the diverse factors that influence our perception of interior spaces.
On campus, you’ll engage with a global community of students and faculty, fostering a critical, inclusive, and interdisciplinary studio environment. Connect with global design leaders through events like The Anna and Joseph Syrop Annual Lecture, which has featured innovative thinkers such as Xu Tiantian (DnA Design, Beijing) and Bijoy Jain (Studio Mumbai, India).
Student Work
Leverage Pratt’s Professional Network and Support
Industry and Academic Success
Prepare for industry success through Professional Practice coursework and a 1-credit, 120-hour internship offering a substantial foothold in the profession. If you’re interested in an academic career, our Teaching Practicum offers hands-on experience in design studios. Advanced Certificates acquired through your electives further enhance your skill set. Build a strong network through events like INTtalks, the Interior Provocations Symposium, the IDEC Conference, Industry Night, and the Pratt Show alumni gathering.
Our Alumni
Pratt’s distinguished alumni are shaping the future of design through innovative work that reimagines how we live, work, and connect. They thrive internationally at leading firms such as Gensler, Perkins&Will, Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Rockwell Group, Snøhetta, Roman and Williams, and Tony Chi Studio—among others—and as entrepreneurs, owners, and principals of their own studios.
Career Support for Life
After graduation you will enter the global network of Pratt alumni. Building your network locally and with access to Pratt’s Center for Career and Professional Development, you will have lifelong support in your career path.
Interior Design News
The Best Friends Designing Livable, Thought-Provoking Beauty
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Design as a Launchpad
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MillerKnoll Sponsors Pratt Career Night ‘25
The Museum Experience, Reimagined
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Ready for More?
| HERE’S HOW TO APPLY | Graduate Studies at Pratt | OUR CAMPUS & BEYOND |
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| Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step. | Whether your goal is to advance your career, pivot to a new field, or explore your craft or groundbreaking research, our 33 graduate programs provide the rigor and support to achieve your vision. Explore our graduate programs in architecture, fine arts, design, information studies, and the liberal arts and sciences. Learn More. | You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out. |
