eugene lAng collegE of liberal arts
Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School is a learning community in which guided academic freedom and critical thought come together in ways found only here. Designed for creative thinkers and doers, our curriculum is as diverse, bold, and attuned to the new as our students and faculty. We investigate new ideas by asking big questions. We make the liberal arts a lever for progressive social change, developing the skills needed for work with partners throughout New York City and an evolving world. Students collaborate with peers and professors throughout The New School, including the renowned New School for Social Research and top-ranked Parsons School of Design, now integrated with the university’s performing arts colleges. At Lang, we don’t retreat from the world. We engage with it.
FOSTER A MORE JUST AND JOYFUL WORLD
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1,550 students enrolled at Lang1
10:1 18 Average class size at Lang
600+ courses offered each year at Lang
14 majors offered
1 Fall 2025 enrollment data.
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student-to-faculty ratio
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ACADEMICS at lang
A Path Paved for You—by You
At Lang, you’ll have the resources and academic freedom you need to chart a curriculum tailored to you. Select from a number of course options to fulfill the few requirements outside of your major: first-year writing seminars, an advising seminar/ workshop, and two university lecture courses. Choose from a broad array of courses in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences courses at Lang, as well as classes at Parsons School of Design, The New School for Social Research, Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the School of Drama. .
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Imagine a liberal arts course that is less a lecture than a roundtable of creative intellectuals with bold, distinctive voices as passionate as your own. Intimate and engaging, Lang seminars immerse you in an academic experience centered on pressing social issues, seminal texts, and spirited discourse.
Faculty Mentors The faculty serve as mentors, creating a space where critical voices and diverse viewpoints are cultivated and challenged. Many Lang professors also teach in our university’s graduate programs, which means you are guided by leading public intellectuals who extend your learning by sharing cutting-edge research and insights—and their connections throughout NYC and beyond. newschool.edu/lang/faculty
“ At Lang, you engage directly with people who are doing the work you want to do in your future career. We help you put your learning into action.” —Christoph Cox, Dean, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
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Seminar-Style Courses
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lily BA Psychology (Lang), MA Psychology (The New School for Social Research) Lily is a graduate of the bachelor’s-master’s program who, in just three and a half years, completed both undergraduate and graduate for Social Research (NSSR). Of particular value to her were the sharing of faculty at Lang and NSSR, which facilitated her research; Lang’s interdisciplinary approach; and opportunities to collaborate with peers from diverse programs. In comparing the university with other schools, Lily says, “You’re not stuck in a small town—you’re in New York!” All freshmen take part in First Year Seminars, designed to ease them into life in the city. During hers, Lily was matched with a student mentor who offered her guidance on essential skills such as managing her finances and navigating the city safely. “The First Year Seminar gives students time to develop independence and accountability and find out what they’re passionate about,” she says. “All of your time at Lang is about discovery.” Since graduating, Lily has put her psychology studies into practice, first in corporate real estate and now in sustainable building industries. Her work with green roofs is inspiring her to explore new avenues for building sustainably in cities. “I’m advocating for good outcomes while interpreting data—often in stressful negotiations. I’m applying the interdisciplinary approaches I gained at Lang to the real world.”
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degrees in psychology—her BA at Lang and her MA at The New School
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majors, areas of study, minors
Your academic and faculty advisors help you choose a course of study in any of our majors or one you design yourself. You are not expected to declare a major until the second semester of your sophomore year, so you have the time and opportunity to explore a range of interests and subjects. You can also tailor your studies by pursuing a minor (see page 21) or enroll in a five-year dual-degree (BA/BFA) or bachelor’s-master’s program to broaden your horizons (see page 27). newschool.edu/lang/academics ANTHROPOLOGY Minor
Apply a range of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of anthropology and gain fresh insights from courses that reflect the diverse interests of an international faculty. Recent classes: Urban Anthropology; Terminality; Planetary Perspectives
THE ARTS
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Major (BA),
Study the visual and performing arts in a liberal arts context.
BA-MA option
Connect academic inquiry and research to creative practice and use the arts as a powerful tool for self-discovery and advocacy. Choose one of two concentrations: Visual Studies or Arts in Context. Recent classes: Arts in New York City; Recording Change; Exhibitions as History Career paths: performance; visual arts; theater; dance; music; journalism; criticism; arts administration
CONTEMPORARY DANCE Major (BA), minor
Combine practice and performance opportunities in New York City with a rigorous liberal arts education. Learn from some of the nation’s top choreographers, dancers, and scholars, and view dance in its social, cultural, and historical contexts while developing a sense of social responsibility. Recent classes: Experiential Anatomy; Improvisation as Art and Physical Practice; Performance and Property Career paths: choreography; performance; arts administration; writing; graduate study
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Examine the cultural and social significance of music in today’s
minor
world. Explore contemporary music; music history, theory, and criticism; and the evolving technologies used in composing, performing, and listening. Earn both a liberal arts degree and a jazz and contemporary music degree with the BA/BFA pathway. Recent classes: DJ Skills and Styles; Documenting Popular Music/ians; Sound Sculpture as Instrument Career paths: music teaching; musical performance; business; media production; journalism and critical writing; arts administration
CULTURE AND MEDIA Major (BA),
Analyze media—print, film, radio, television, and the
minor,
Internet—from the standpoints of history, politics,
BA-MA option
technology, sociology, textual analysis, and ethnography. Acquire the critical thinking and production skills you need to employ media in the process of world making. Recent classes: Psychoanalysis and Culture; Planetary Science Fiction; Activating the Archive: Contemporary Practices in Historical Re-imagination
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Major (BA),
Career paths: media production; media art; journalism; arts administration; teaching; graduate study
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ECONOMICS Major (BA),
Evaluate the history of economic ideas, contemporary
minor,
markets and institutions, and global economic development
BA-MA option
along with the influence of class, gender, race, and ethnicity on economic outcomes. The curriculum emphasizes quantitative methods. Recent classes: Economic History of Capitalism; The Evolution of Money: From Commodity to Crypto; Intermediate Macroeconomics Career paths: public administration; business; advocacy; law; graduate study
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Minor
Address critical issues facing the world’s cities in the 21st century while developing an understanding of both the natural and the social science implications of our environmental problems. Recent classes: Plastic: The Story of a Material; Zero Food Waste; Energy and Sustainability
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Build a practical, hands-on understanding of how to create a short film from conception through completion. Recent classes: Cinematography and Lighting; Filmmaking Lab; Digital Editing Fundamentals
51%
of Lang students take courses at Parsons School of Design
FOOD STUDIES Minor
Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of food systems and the way they are designed while learning about culinary, political, social, managerial, and agricultural issues related to food and urban sustainability. Recent classes: Food Policy and Politics; Professional Food Writing; Food and the Body
GENDER STUDIES Minor
Question the culturally constructed idea of sex difference and the way gender and sexuality are renegotiated over men’s studies; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies; and queer theory. Recent classes: Ecofeminism and Global Justice; Queering and Decolonizing Theology; Gender and Its Discontents
GLOBAL STUDIES Minor
Delve into the challenges of globalization, learn about existing systems, and develop ways to improve them. Recent classes: The Colonial Present; Global Engagement Colloquium; Global Black Markets
History Minor
Develop an understanding of contemporary events by researching the past. Train in historical research methods and approach history critically using multidisciplinary tools. Recent classes: Exhibitions as History; Uses of the Past; Utopian Imagination
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time. Research the history of feminist thought and action;
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INDIVIDUALIZED STUDIES Major (BA, BS),
Work closely with a faculty advisor to design your own
BA-MA option
course of study. Select courses offered at The New School on a broad range of subjects and bring together themes and methods in areas that interest you. Recent classes: Digital Feminisms; Textiles and Textures: Signs and Designs; The Future Will Be Cooperative: Co-ops, Community, Land Trusts, and the Commons Career paths: writing; media; teaching; advocacy; public policy; entrepreneurship; arts administration; social science professions; graduate study
INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE Major (BA),
Investigate the dynamic interplay between health and
minor,
environmental change by integrating laboratory work,
STEM-
scientific thinking, and quantitative reasoning with critical
designated
perspectives from the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Learn to use a planetary health framework to address climate change, the development and use of emerging biotechnologies, and the acquisition, management, and interpretation of large sets of data—real-world challenges that benefit from scientific innovation that is sustainable and socially just.
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Recent classes: Stem Cells and Social Justice; Making Math and Art; Urban Environmental Health Career paths: public health and advocacy; science communication and journalism; narrative medicine; STEM education; environmental activism; sustainability; design; policy; graduate study
Marina BA Interdisciplinary Science, Writing minor (Lang) When Marina started at Lang, she had no interest in math or science. That changed, however, after her class with Katayoun Chamany of Lang’s science in a contextualized way,” she says. “I went to public school, where science was mostly memorization. But this was actual critical thinking in science—something I had never experienced before.“ With the support of Lang’s Mohn Family Science and Social Justice Fellowship—established by one of Chamany’s former students—Marina embarked on a fully funded six-week field study in Argentina, where she investigated the effects of climate change on the ecosystem and local Indigenous communities. Her goal was to research an endangered tree species, but her “work ended up becoming a lot more about the Mapuche, an Indigenous group living in the region, and how they’re affected by the loss of the tree species. It was an incredible opportunity.”
“ I went to public school, where science was mostly memorization. But this was actual critical thinking in science—something I had never experienced before.”
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Interdisciplinary Science program. “I fell in love with the idea of learning
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JEWISH CULTURE Minor
Study Jewish art, history, and literature and consider Jews and Judaism as rich case studies through which to explore the meaning and origin of concepts like nation, state, religion, ethnicity, exile, and diaspora. Recent classes: The Literature of Forgiveness; The Birth of Judaism and Christianity in the Ancient World; Oral Histories of Klezmer Musicians
JOURNALISM + DESIGN Major (BA),
Combine the rigorous critical thinking fostered by Eugene
minor,
Lang College of Liberal Arts with the creative design
BA-MA option
thinking nurtured at Parsons School of Design. Acquire the skills needed to address the complex media ecosystem of the 21st century, and develop the creative capacity and confidence to thrive in any field that values imagination, agility, and know-how. Recent classes: Have It Your Way: The Art of the Critical Review; Documentary Photojournalism; Journalism and the Machine Career paths: entry-level digital journalism; writing; advanced study of journalism, design, or media
LAW AND SOCIAL CHANGE the new school 14
Minor
Learn how law can be employed as an instrument of social change. Look at how law and legal institutions exert power and control, how the law produces systemic forms of harm, and how law can serve as a means of democratic transformation.
Recent classes: Performance and Property; International Law in the Age of Terror; Human Rights of Migrants
LITERARY STUDIES Major (BA),
View the written word from both critical and creative
BA-MA option
perspectives as you develop skills beyond effective writing, such as research and analysis, with opportunities to collaborate. All students take four core courses, which provide a common language and academic experience, then move on to a concentration in either Literature and Critical Analysis or Writing. Recent classes: Writing the Body; Handmade Poetics: Notebooks, Diaries, and Other Paper Works; Politics and Memory in Irish Literature Career paths: writing; bookselling; journalism; publishing; eugene lang college of liberal arts
nonprofit communications; graduate study
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LITERATURE AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS Concentration
Study texts from a range of periods, places, and cultures
(BA Literary
to develop your critical reading, writing, and analytical
Studies),
skills. You receive guidance from faculty members who
minor
bring scholarly and aesthetic insight to literature in English and translated works. Recent classes: Words Rang True: The Arts of Bob Dylan; Victorian Literature; Indigenous Voices from Latin America
MIGRATION STUDIES Minor
Develop a foundational understanding of migration and mobility and the economic, political, social, spatial, material, environmental, and institutional conditions that shape the movement of people, things, and ideas across borders. Recent classes: Asylum, Refuge, Youth; Mapping Migration; Views from the Border
MOVING IMAGE ARTS Minor
Integrate theory and practice as you learn how to create moving image work that encompasses experimental film and video, new media, and time-based installation work.
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Recent classes: Animation and Spectatorship; Motion Concepts; Film and Video Art
PHILOSOPHY Major (BA),
Examine and debate the great intellectual traditions while
minor,
exploring the history of ideas, particularly those that have
BA-MA option
played a central role in shaping the modern world. The Philosophy department has established philosophy-related clubs and a set of community agreements to act on our commitment to decolonizing the curriculum and making the liberal arts relevant, applicable, and inclusive. Recent classes: Lo-Fi Aesthetics; Space, Place, Ecology in Black and Decolonial Feminisms; Human Rights in the Age of Climate Change Career paths: public service and politics; teaching; consulting art, business, and law
POLITICS Major (BA),
Consider politics—the exercise of power in society—on
minor,
a range of scales, from the micropolitics of the family to
BA-MA option
geopolitics, and use New York City as a laboratory in which to explore issues like immigration and economic inequality. Recent classes: Oligarchy: Theory and History; Theories of Violence; Stem Cells and Social Justice Career paths: public service; public policy; law; journalism; graduate study
PSYCHOLOGY Major (BA),
Analyze the scope and evolution of psychological inquiry.
minor,
Study the application of the scientific method to
BA-MA option
psychological research and learn how to evaluate the literature of psychology with a critical eye. Recent classes: Methods of Inquiry; Psychology of Aesthetics and Design; Psychology and Social Development Career paths: management; human resources;
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PARKER GRACE BA Journalism + Design (Lang), BFA Photography (Parsons) BA/BFA alum Parker Grace sees her work as an extension of her identity. “It’s important to be yourself and show who you are in your work,” she says. For her Journalism + Design senior thesis at Lang, Parker Grace created An Indigenous Persons Guide to NYC, spotlighting Native American resources, artists, and organizations across the city. Inspired by her experience searching for Indigenous community in New York, the guide was designed to help others find connection and a sense of belonging. “Sometimes it takes just one person to open the door and introduce you to a community,” she says. Parker Grace’s interdisciplinary studies strengthened her storytelling the new school 18
practice, enabling her to combine writing, photography, and advocacy in work centered on representation and community. Today Parker Grace freelances as a photographer for Bloomberg Media while continuing to use art as a vehicle for representation and storytelling.
“ It’s important to be yourself and show who you are in your work.”
RACE AND ETHNICITY Minor
Address the role of race and ethnicity in academic, artistic, and political discourse in the United States and around the world while developing the skills and knowledge needed to bring about social change. This curriculum draws on humanities and social science courses offered across the university that explore how the categories of ethnicity and race are constructed, maintained, and challenged. Recent classes: Race and Biology; NYC Eats: Food, People, Places; Culture, Ethnicity, and Mental Health
RELIGIOUS STUDIES Study the intersections and intimate connections between systems of belief and practices, ethical codes, rituals, narratives, philosophies, and social and political structures across cultures and centuries. Recent classes: Meetings with Remarkable Mystics; The Quran: Beauty, God, and Power; Buddhist Psychologies of Consciousness SCREEN STUDIES Major (BA),
Immerse yourself in the rich history of motion pictures
BA-MA option
and trace their transformation into today’s rapidly changing screen industries and cultures. Choose from courses in subjects including screenwriting, directing, editing, and cinematography. Recent classes: Cinematography; Folk Horror; Personal Documentary Career paths: media production; screenwriting for television; motion pictures; design and content development for Web-based media; media curation; programming; advanced study of film, media, and television
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Minor
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SCREENWRITING Study the fundamentals of character, conflict, and scene
Minor
structure while learning to write for the screen (film, TV, Web, etc.). Recent classes: Writing for the Web; Selling Your Script; Funny Ha-Ha: The Art of Comedy SOCIOLOGY Delve into the complexities of human behavior and explore the
Minor
forces of social change while learning to design strategies for responding to social problems.
Contemporary Social Theory THEATER Major (BA),
Explore acting, directing, and playwriting, from the classics
minor
to contemporary work. In this interdisciplinary program, you receive a grounding in practice and examine experimental innovations in theater in the context of liberal arts. Recent classes: Catching the Ear(th); Dramatic Masters: Hope and Healing; Directing: Devised Theater Career paths: advanced study of acting; directing; playwriting; teaching; journalism; arts management; public relations; film and TV screenwriting and production
Lang appears on the Princeton Review’s 2026 Best 391 Colleges and Best Regional Colleges lists.
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Recent classes: Sociology of Media; Sociology Through Theater;
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URBAN STUDIES Minor
Examine the complex cultural, governmental, physical, and social ecosystems of the modern city. This minor incorporates experiential learning as a key component and provides students with a solid foundation for engagement with the city. Recent classes: Planning Sustainable Cities; Root Shock; Housing Policy
VISUAL STUDIES Concentration
Develop a basic understanding of visual culture, ranging
(BA The Arts),
from classic works in museums to contemporary and
minor
experimental artworks. Employ visual art to gain deeper insight into social issues such as race, class, gender and sexuality, nationality, citizenship and science, technology, and global economic and environmental issues. Visual Studies can be taken as a concentration (BA The Arts) or a minor. Recent classes: Feminism, Queer Theory, and the Arts; The Performative Image: Photography and Performance; Systems Aesthetics: Art, Architecture, Institutions (Wadsworth as Container)
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WRITING Concentration
Choose a genre (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) and
(BA Literary
progress through writing workshops to develop a unique
Studies),
authorial voice. Courses emphasize literary analysis,
minor
essential communication skills, and the development of a profound understanding of craft. Writing can be taken as a concentration (BA Literary Studies) or a minor. Recent classes: Writing the End of the World; Poets Aloud: NYC Poetry Readings and Performance; Writing Speculative Literature
Pursuing a minor allows you to investigate subjects that complement your major, acquire specialized knowledge to
minors
Minors Let You Explore—and Gain an Edge
advance toward personal or professional goals, and stand out on a graduate school or job application. Many majors at Lang are available as minors, and curricular opportunities allow you to immerse yourself in a minor outside of the college. newschool.edu/undergrad-minors
Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts Anthropology Contemporary Dance Contemporary Music Culture and Media Economics Environmental Studies Film Production Food Studies Gender Studies Global Studies History Interdisciplinary Science Jewish Culture Journalism + Design Law and Social Change Literature and Critical Analysis Migration Studies Moving Image Arts Philosophy Politics Psychology Race and Ethnicity Religious Studies Screenwriting Sociology Theater
Parsons School of Design Art and Design History Comics and Graphic Narrative Communication Design Creative Entrepreneurship Data Visualization Design Studies Environment and Sustainability Management Fashion Communication Fashion Studies Fine Arts Gromek Fashion Business Immersive Storytelling Management and Leadership Photography Printmaking Sustainable Cities Temporary Environments College of Performing Arts Mannes School of Music Audio Production Music for Collaborative Media Techniques of Music (Theory, Ear Training, Dictation) School of Drama Dramatic Arts
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Minors Offered at The New School
Urban Studies Visual Studies Writing
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Sabrina BA Theater and BA Culture and Media (Lang double major) Sabrina entered her freshman year without a clear academic direction. Lang provided her with the opportunity to explore various interests before settling on an academic path. Living on campus and taking classes drawing on New York City’s history and resources allowed her to expand her horizons and network with organizations both in and outside of the school. Sabrina was a student fellow in a Lang course—Scene Study: Prison Plays—offered in partnership with The Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens. The course offered formerly incarcerated individuals a chance to immerse themselves in the arts, theater, and writing. It’s the kind of opportunity Sabrina hasn’t seen offered anywhere else. “Lang gave me the space to express myself,” she explains. “The faculty are supportive of this; you develop great relationships with faculty members and communities with whom you have similar interests—it’s really powerful.”
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“ You develop great relationships with faculty members and communities with whom you have similar interests—it’s really powerful.”
Lang’s home within The New School, a comprehensive research university, expands the resources available to you—including faculty, research labs and facilities, public programs, and fellow students with whom you can collaborate. You can declare an undergraduate minor at another college and take courses across the university to satisfy non-major requirements, enroll in our BA/BFA dual-degree program, or pursue bachelor’s and
more study options
A Liberal Arts School Within a University
master’s degrees simultaneously through one of our renowned graduate schools. BA/BFA Dual Degree The New School’s BA/BFA dual degree (called BAFA) is a five-year academic pathway that combines liberal arts study with instruction in either jazz and contemporary music or art and design. Students interested in BAFA apply to the program, which awards a BA from Eugene Lang College and a BFA from either Parsons School of Design or the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, both schools within The New School. To pursue the BAFA dual degree, you must be admitted to both colleges. Advisement ensures that you meet the requirements of both degrees, which range from 168 to 180 credits (the number of credits depends on the chosen major). newschool.edu/lang/babfa
The Accelerated Bachelor’s-Master’s Program The New School’s Bachelor’s-Master’s (BA-MA) program allows students across the university to save time and money by earning graduate credits that apply to both their New School undergraduate degree and a graduate degree from The New School for Social Research. Starting in their junior year, students admitted to the program can earn up to 18 credits in master’s courses (depending on the program) and apply those graduate credits to both their undergraduate degree and an MA or MS degree. newschool.edu/bachelors-masters
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Study Abroad One of the advantages of studying at Lang is immersion in New York City— and other locations around the world. Many Lang students spend a semester, academic year, or summer abroad taking courses, working at internships, or pursuing volunteer projects. With proper research and planning, you can study, work, or volunteer almost anywhere in the world while at Lang. newschool.edu/lang/study-abroad Lang offers a number of options for study abroad, including: • Pre-approved study abroad programs with partner institutions • Funded research travel for qualifying projects Past foreign study programs have taken students to: • Costa Rica, where they combined classroom learning with hands-on work through research on and analysis of Central American social and economic issues • Paris, where they considered the life, work, and legacy of the novelist, essayist, playwright, and poet James Baldwin • Tokyo, where they explored the liberal arts and studied Japanese language and culture at Sophia University, a research-focused institution
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Number of Lang study abroad destinations
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CIERRa BA The Arts (Visual Studies concentration) In the Lang course How to Grow a Small Business, Cierra pitched a concept for an art gallery focusing on the work of women of color. It turned out to be a life-changing assignment. After graduating, Cierra developed her entrepreneurial idea into a real-world venture that she now leads. In just a few years, the Cierra Britton Gallery has built an impressive roster of creators and won Cierra a coveted spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of changemakers. The visual arts was Cierra’s favorite school subject. She grew up close to an uncle who introduced her to the world of professional art and inspired her to explore it in depth. “There were so many living artists I admired. I wanted to stay in that kind of dialogue, which is what brought me to The New School—and that in turn changed everything for me.” At Lang, she discovered the Practicing Curating course, in which students learn to create exhibitions. “I was like, ‘That’s a thing?’ I had never heard the term ‘curator’ in my life.” Other classes helped her formulate a path for promoting women of color and their art. Cierra cites the importance of her time at Lang when describing the the new school 32
gallery’s unique curatorial mission to artists and collectors around the world. “I’m building plans with the tools I gathered from The New School and my experience of being a curator in my own gallery.”
“ The New School changed everything for me.”
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academic foundation, support, and guidance vital to your overall success. Academic advisors, faculty advisors, and first-year fellows are available to help you navigate the opportunities and challenges of transitioning to college life and studies. We encourage you to take a range of liberal arts courses during your first year at Lang. Try to leave your comfort zone and select subjects you wouldn’t ordinarily choose to
your first year at lang
Lang’s first-year seminar and writing courses provide an
study. Lang’s First-Year Writing Program introduces you to the seminar through courses on a range of subjects. Subjects covered in recent courses include environmentalism, travel writing, artificial intelligence and feminism, existentialism, and activism. Students typically take Writing the Essay I and II in consecutive semesters in the first year. These courses, organized on the workshop model, help you develop confidence as a writer. You begin with familiar formats, such as the personal essay, and move on to more analytical forms of writing, such as the critical essay. You explore research methods and develop a clear and forceful prose style through close reading and revision. Your writing is also enriched by Lang’s Craft-Lesson Lunch Series, in which faculty members and guests share readings and insights into the writer’s craft, sparking discussion and offering advanced lessons in creating effective writing. The first-year seminar is taught by a professor who serves as your faculty advisor during your freshman year at Lang. First-year seminars draw upon professors’ expertise and offer opportunities to engage in intense discussions with your classmates and develop the skills you need to grapple with challenging material and diverse perspectives. newschool.edu/lang/first-year
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THE CLASSROOM MEETS THE WORLD
At Lang, the classroom is in constant dialogue with the outside world. Lang courses connect what students are learning to the big questions of our time. Many of our classes bring in individuals and organizations engaging in the kind of work discussed in class, allowing students to learn from local activists, artists, policymakers, and community leaders. Lang’s Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice (CESJ) offers students opportunities to apply their passion for social justice through academic and community-building work in New York City and beyond. Lang also provides fellowships and grants and holds conferences—such as the Dean’s Honor Symposium—that support our students’ engagement with the world, offering them exciting ways to explore theory, build research skills, and develop their practice. newschool.edu/lang/engaged-learning-opportunities Experiential learning opportunities include: • Civic Liberal Arts • Eugene Lang Opportunity Awards (independent research and creative project grants) • Civic Engagement and Social Justice Mini-Grants and Summer Fellowships • Social Science Research Fellowships
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• Dean’s Honor Symposium • Tishman Environmental Merit Scholarships • Lang Academic Fellowships • First Year Fellowships
Yu Ling BA Theater (Lang), BFA Integrated Design (Parsons)
for two weeks at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. Through the study abroad program, she also studied in Scotland, Berlin—where she worked with Lang theater professor Zishan Ugurlu on a solo show—and Colombia, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with other students on social justice and civic engagement efforts in an international context. “My junior year, I focused on an international setting, and our professor suggested Colombia for its many parallels with the Bronx in New York,” Yu Ling explains. “It was a difficult trip, looking at politics outside of the U.S. and our role in so many countries, but it was a valuable experience I will never forget. Later I studied abroad in Berlin and fell in love with the theater there. I saw a show every day, all thanks to Lang grants and scholarships. Lang was so supportive.”
“ I studied abroad in Berlin and saw a theater show every day, all thanks to Lang grants and scholarships. Lang was so supportive.”
eugene lang college of liberal arts
After earning the Lang Opportunity Award, Yu Ling was granted funding
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coming to campus and thriving
On any given day, Lang students can be found in the Lang courtyard, a residence hall, or the University Center discussing capitalism, freedom, and Foucault. On campus, they might write for the New School Free Press, audition for Lang theater productions, or host a radio show on WNSR New School Radio. Academic and social events like panel discussions, performances, and film series across The New School are readily available to Lang students. Located in the heart of the city, Lang is surrounded by cafés, venues for screening student films (like our New Screen Fest event), museums, bookstores, parks, and part-time job and internship sites. At Lang, activities are a means of finding an intellectual community and establishing lasting friendships. blogs.newschool.edu/lang
Want to experience a day in the life of a New School student? Follow online.
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Housing Our residence halls and other university facilities are a short walk from Lang’s classrooms, giving you easy access to libraries, computer labs, and our 24-hour University Center, which houses the cafeteria and the art and design library. Our dorms offer a secure environment and facilities including free laundry machines, and residence hall staff organize many social, educational, and cultural activities. All first-year full-time undergraduates must live in on-campus housing unless they meet waiver eligibility. For details, visit newschool.edu/housing.
Financial Aid
based scholarships and need-based aid for those who qualify. All applicants, including international students, are automatically considered for merit aid. We also participate in government grant, loan, and work study programs. For more information on financing your education, visit newschool.edu/lang/ tuition-fees-estimator and newschool.edu/student-financial-services. You can email questions to sfs@newschool.edu.
98%
of incoming Lang students receive financial aid1
1 Fall 2025 enrollment data.
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Lang’s comprehensive financial aid program provides competitive merit-
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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela Professor of History Many Lang courses call on students to reflect on present-day realities and develop empathy for people of diverse viewpoints. Professor Mehlman Petrzela finds this capacity especially critical today, at a time of polarization in American politics and culture. She thinks back on a course she taught, Publishing Life, in which she and her students collaborated both Marxist theorists and self-help authors. “The premise,” she explains, “was that the two groups of authors were actually taking on very similar questions, like: How do we lead a ‘meaningful life’?” Textual analysis of both sides’ assumptions and arguments “helped students understand the agendas and implications of opposing groups. Now more than ever, we need students to have critical thinking abilities as engaged citizens.” The small size of the class allows students to develop close relationships with Mehlman Petrzela and one another. “I’ve had some of the same students in five or six classes,” she says. “One benefit of Lang’s seminars is the fact that students are able to come back to professors in their department, become familiar with their research, and expand on ideas developed previously.” Mehlman Petrzela hopes that the texts they study together challenge her students’ perceptions of their identity and their place in the world. “Lang seminars involve community-based projects that enhance the academics through a 360-degree kind of engagement,” she says.
“ Lang seminars involve community-based projects that enhance the academics through a 360-degree kind of engagement.”
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with a left-leaning American media partner to investigate the work of
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Learning Resources The New School’s extensive resources—libraries, performance and gallery spaces, XR studios, making facilities, computer labs, archives, and research centers—help you get the most out of your time at the university. Public programs bring luminaries and new ideas to campus, drawing on the city’s position as a center of culture, commerce, and innovation. The University Learning Center (ULC) provides academic support to The New School’s diverse student population through one-on-one tutoring sessions and workshops. newschool.edu/learning-center
Health and Wellness The Student Health Services (SHS) team help you thrive in the classroom by offering comprehensive confidential, culturally sensitive medical and counseling support. Resources include immunizations, in-person and telehealth appointments, and individual counseling, support groups, and psychiatric care. Dedicated staff provide services and can refer you to specialized and public healthcare resources. SHS also organizes wellness activities such as meditation classes, workshops, and stress relief events during hectic times of the year. And you can stay active with recreational activities including club team sports and individual classes and activities like yoga, dance, kickboxing, bowling, and rock climbing. newschool.edu/health-services the new school 50
Student Organizations Student clubs and organizations offer you a social outlet, let you explore your interests, and enable you to develop skills and connections. Interested in writing for the school newspaper? Taking part in the debate or cross-country team? Finding friends in clubs like the New School Game Club, Asian Student Association, or Hip-Hop Collective? You can find—or create—opportunities here on campus. narwhalnation.newschool.edu/organizations
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pathways to success
Internships with NYC’s Changemakers
Lang faculty and staff lay the groundwork for students’ success after college by sharing their professional networks and facilitating internships and special learning opportunities with local and global partners. Recent Lang student internship sites include: • AFROPUNK—creating editorial content tie-ins to the popular music festival • Metropolitan Museum of Art—researching and cataloging photos and composing attributions in the Arms and Armor department • NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs—helping to plan and stage community events • NYU Langone Health—working on interior design plans for healthcare offices, educational and research facilities, and faculty group practices • Generation Citizen—sorting and reporting on data for a nonprofit organization, receiving real-world civic education with an equity-centered approach • Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture—investigating community needs, challenges, success stories, and innovative solutions by researching and visualizing data on community gardens • Sony Music Entertainment—assisting in the creation of design assets and promotional graphics for the artists of Epic Records
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• Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace)—working on projectbased teams dealing with public relations, market research, and content creation • The Climate Museum—conducting research and planning exhibitions for the first museum in the United States dedicated to climate solutions • New York Post—interviewing sources, conducting research, and working with photographers as a part-time reporter • Saturday Night Live—handling tasks for all departments during the week and helping to meet special guests’ pre-arrival needs
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OUR ALUMNI
Our approach to the liberal arts and hands-on learning helps students become resourceful graduates able to navigate change and contribute to the fields, industries, and communities they engage with. Lang alumni work in some of today’s top industries and organizations. They launch businesses. They serve as capable and thoughtful leaders who continually question the status quo and foster positive change in a range of settings. newschool.edu/lang/outcomes
87%
of graduates are employed or are pursuing advanced study within a year of graduating1
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1 2022 survey data.
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David Bering-Porter Associate Professor of Culture and Media In his own research and in the Lang courses he teaches, Bering-Porter explores and engages in social commentary on technology and the body as an artistic medium. When asked how he helps students critically consider tech tools like AI, he points to Digital Media and Race, a class he recently taught, for an example. In the course, students were asked to examine the interactions of people of color with technology, the concept of race as a societal construct, and the ways such constructs shape identity, oppression, privilege, and other social dynamics. “We were pushing through some complicated theoretical ideas in class,” he says. “I think that Lang has been particularly effective at looking at the body, race, identity, culture, and media by allowing students from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds to come into this space and have conversations about interconnected networks of knowledge.” Bering-Porter’s classes attract students from across the university in addition to Culture and Media majors. “Students from Parsons’ Fashion Design program bring an interesting aesthetic sense to the creative and design-oriented projects,” he explains. “And I look forward to having that the new school 58
kind of aesthetic sense in a class on data visualization that I also teach.”
“ L ang has been particularly effective at looking at the body, race, identity, culture, and media by allowing students from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds to come into this space and have conversations.”
Jackson Bisaccia, BA Psychology, BA The Arts (with Visual Studies concentration) ’22 (Lang)
By the time he enrolled at Lang, Bisaccia had already worked as a consultant in event production. During his studies, he refined his curatorial abilities, serving in various roles for The Kitchen, an experimental arts space. He went on to found Bisaccia | Black, a creative studio, also co-founded Xander Medical, a biotech start-up that was the first team to partner with the NIH through the organization’s dC3i program.
Alex Vadukul, BA Literary Studies ’11 (Lang)
Vadukul works as a reporter for the Styles section of the New York Times. He has won praise for his writing about life in New York City—a skill he honed at Lang.
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where he serves as creative director. He
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Sophie Lo, BA Culture and Media ’15 (Lang)
Lo has served in a variety of leadership roles with local cultural organizations and museum boards. Today she is the deputy director of the Museum at Eldridge Street, an institution that preserves the legacy and history of NYC’s Chinatown and Lower East Side.
Matthew Steinfeld, BA Individualized Studies ’03 (Lang), MA Psychology ’09, PhD Clinical Psychology ’12 (The New School for Social Research)
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Steinfeld came to Lang with a love of music but met faculty who helped him discover a new passion—psychology. Today he is an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University’s School of Medicine and also maintains a private therapy practice.
Mary Rose Cowden, BA Psychology ’23 (Lang), BFA Jazz and Contemporary Music ’23 (School of Jazz and Contemporary Music)
During her studies in the Lang–School of Jazz dual-degree program, Cowden spent a year in Amsterdam establishing a jazz band and taking part in the European music scene. After graduating, she applied her entrepreneurial skills to creating experimental songwriting. She describes her interdisciplinary approach as “infusing academic research in psychology and philosophy into lyrics and artistic concepts.” Today Cowden works as an arranger, music director, transcriber, and accompanist. She finds time to tour with indie artist FIG and maintain a private teaching practice.
“ Lang helped provide a personal and professional foundation, and for that I am incredibly grateful. The New School was where I met some of my closest friends and secured a career-launching internship.” —Sophie Lo, BA Culture and Media ’15
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Aisha Williams, BA Journalism + Design ’21 (Lang)
For her Journalism + Design capstone at Lang, Williams launched a zine called Hoodwear Diaries that has evolved into a collaborative storytelling platform. A new issue will be published at the end of this summer, and Williams is hosting in-person events and panels related to it. She is also active in writing, filmmaking, and photography projects.
John Solomon Hanson, BA The Arts (with Visual Studies concentration) ’19 (Lang), MA History of Design and Curatorial Studies ’22 (Parsons) the new school 62
After working at the Center for Architecture; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), Hanson now develops brand strategy for the experiential design firm Malherbe Paris.
Katayoun Chamany Mohn Family Professor of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
citizenship. It’s a capacity that Chamany helps her science students develop in multiple ways. In a recent senior seminar, her students tackled the question of whether nuclear energy should be subsidized and incorporated into New York State’s energy portfolio. Students assumed the roles of various stakeholders, including CEOs, mayors, scientists, and representatives of Native American populations. Chamany points out that classes often focus on problem solving and effecting social change. “Our courses showcase how science can be an active participant in change, not just a neutral discourse of facts and equations,” she says. “After the project, many students said that they had a much more informed and nuanced stance on the issue.”
“ Our courses showcase how science can be an active participant in change, not just a neutral discourse of facts and equations.”
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At Lang, critical thinking is a skill considered essential to engaged
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WE ARE THE NEW SCHOOL Since its founding in 1919, The New School has been a center of independent thought, dialogue, and action. We are a community that applies integrative approaches to global problems and leads the systemic change needed to make the world more equitable, more sustainable, and better designed for all. Today our university is made up of colleges offering courses in art, design, media, and performing arts and in the liberal arts and social sciences.
Get in touch and take the next step Contact our team, learn about admission requirements, attend an admission event, or make an appointment. 212.229.5150 x2 or 800.292.3040 x2 lang@newschool.edu
For important information including accreditation, student rights, campus safety statistics, and tuition and fees, visit newschool.edu/your-right-to-know. Published 2026 by The New School. The New School is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Photo credits: David Barron, Julian Budge, James Ewing, Ben Ferrari, Andrew Friedman, Hey Wave Media, Adeline Lulo, Matthew Mathews, Julien Mouffron-Gardner, Jacob Arthur Pritchard, Sarah Rocco, SandenWolff, Martin Seck, Michael Kirby Smith, Matt Sussman, Phillip Van Nostrand, Jason Varone This brochure is printed on 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper with UV inks that conserve energy and material and do not release VOCs into the atmosphere—reflecting the university’s embrace of environmental responsibility.