First, there was NYU. Then came FIT. A dozen or so other universities have also adapted their curriculum to include courses exposing students to the world of fashion, on a scholarly level. Now Parsons The New School will debut a Master's program in Fashion Studies in Fall 2010 - and it's creating quite a buzz.
So far, many outsiders have used the words "competition", "rival" and "copy-cat" in reference to its conception. An upcoming symposium entitled Workwear seems to be the most recent threat to similarly established MA fashion studies programs. With lectures featuring world-renowned designers, conferences exposing the work of fashion studies professionals, and even an exhibit, is there really room for such a specialized program in a developing field?
To some, the answer is "no". People studying the cultural side of fashion, museum curatorship, conservation, publishing, and teaching know that the post-grad world is a battlefield. Many jobs are contract or part time, if available at all. What makes Parsons' Fashion Studies program different and unique? What do they think has been lacking from other programs for them to create this new addition in an already concentrated geographic area?
So far, many outsiders have used the words "competition", "rival" and "copy-cat" in reference to its conception. An upcoming symposium entitled Workwear seems to be the most recent threat to similarly established MA fashion studies programs. With lectures featuring world-renowned designers, conferences exposing the work of fashion studies professionals, and even an exhibit, is there really room for such a specialized program in a developing field?
To some, the answer is "no". People studying the cultural side of fashion, museum curatorship, conservation, publishing, and teaching know that the post-grad world is a battlefield. Many jobs are contract or part time, if available at all. What makes Parsons' Fashion Studies program different and unique? What do they think has been lacking from other programs for them to create this new addition in an already concentrated geographic area?
The MA program at FIT in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory and Museum Practice exposes students to conservation and curatorial methodology, with classes in fashion and textile history to round out their experiences. NYU's Visual Studies program focusing on Costume Studies concentrates more on fashion history, culture and theory. Many students from both universities go on to become fashion historians, curators, collections managers, conservators, archivists, teachers and researchers, but both provide different strengths, suiting specific student needs. These differences have allowed the two programs to work harmoniously together for the past twenty or so years, creating cooperative competing for available positions.
The conception of Parsons' Fashion Studies MA seems to combine the philosophies of NYU and FIT. According to their curriculum description, the core courses include introductions to fashion history, theory and culture, with electives in museum studies, media studies and culminating in advanced thesis development. There does not seem to be an internship component; there does appear to be increased exposure to professionals affiliated with Parsons, as described in the topics of study (especially as lecturers), and there is a strong emphasis on thesis development.
The conception of Parsons' Fashion Studies MA seems to combine the philosophies of NYU and FIT. According to their curriculum description, the core courses include introductions to fashion history, theory and culture, with electives in museum studies, media studies and culminating in advanced thesis development. There does not seem to be an internship component; there does appear to be increased exposure to professionals affiliated with Parsons, as described in the topics of study (especially as lecturers), and there is a strong emphasis on thesis development.
All in all, it seems that those graduating from Parsons will receive extremely similar training formerly composed by NYU and FIT's Masters programs.
How bad is competition when it comes to fashion studies? In a field which struggles to gain acceptance amongst academic society, there is something to be said about establishing similar programs. It provides more opportunities to show the world just how important fashion culture and history really are. By establishing their program, Parsons is adding to a list of reputable universities aiming for the same goal - to be taken seriously as a form of academic study.
The Fashion Studies degree will invite more people to study fashion in a scholarly way, increasing the field's credibility, as well as allowing under-researched topics to surface and be explored. The more people become aware of fashion culture, theory and history, the more we can discuss and promote its study.
How bad is competition when it comes to fashion studies? In a field which struggles to gain acceptance amongst academic society, there is something to be said about establishing similar programs. It provides more opportunities to show the world just how important fashion culture and history really are. By establishing their program, Parsons is adding to a list of reputable universities aiming for the same goal - to be taken seriously as a form of academic study.
The Fashion Studies degree will invite more people to study fashion in a scholarly way, increasing the field's credibility, as well as allowing under-researched topics to surface and be explored. The more people become aware of fashion culture, theory and history, the more we can discuss and promote its study.
Not to mention, New York has some of the greatest costume and textile collections in the world. It can't be helped that The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, the Cooper-Hewitt's collections and exhibitions, and various designer archives - not forgetting the world renowned Fashion Week(s), leading fashion publications, designer showrooms - are all located in the Big Apple. Even though there are already two Masters programs in New York devoted to a greater understanding of fashion culture, there still is much left to be discovered.
I hope that Parsons will influence fashion studies development in other parts of the United States, however. Programs are slowly creeping into universities in LA, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston, and it will be enlightening to watch them develop over the years.
What do you think of Parsons' new program? I'd be interested to hear your opinions on this hot-button issue, whether you are thinking of applying, how you think it'll stand out from previously established programs, etc. Even though it may pose as a "threat", I think that collaboration will strengthen the world's understand of scholarly fashion, in the long run.
Thanks so much for posting this - such an great thing to bring up. I have a number of follow up questions - When will programs like these open up elsewhere? What does this mean for the glut of already overly qualified and unemployed graduates of these programs? Especially in light of museum budget cuts? What is the reasoning behind it? Love to know if anyone has more answers!
ReplyDeleteI think that overall the opening of another fashion studies MA program in NYC is a very good thing. In general, each program tends to develop its own identity - usually in complement to the other programs. What I would really like to see develop here in NYC is the sort of collaborative relationship that Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion at the University of the Arts London enjoy through their Research Centre for Fashion, the Body and Material Cultures. I think such a collaborative effort would really legitimize our field, as well as make NYC (and the US) an international powerplayer in terms of fashion scholarship.
ReplyDeleteThe question I immediately thought of (just like Heather) was what does this mean for all of the grads in terms of employment? There simply aren't that many jobs (especially full-time permanent ones) and the ones that are out are pretty low-paying. We have to also remember that besides NYU, there are also graduates coming out of the joint CH/Parson's Dec Arts program and the BGC to compete for what jobs there are.
I think someone with your entrepreneurial spirit will go quite far, so I would definitely look at the opening of this MA program at Parsons as a positive.
Sarah Scaturro
Great questions everyone! The post-grad employment seems to be the biggest issue here; I'm sure Parsons was developing this program years before the recession hit, and it's just bad timing...but even so, is it worth it to go through with it and have people invest hundreds of dollars into their educations, only to come out in debt and underemployed?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the collaboration part, Sarah. I think part of that is just mobilizing all of the different programs to come together somehow. For example, I'd love to see a city-wide fashion symposium/conference that brought together students from FIT, NYU, BGC, CUNY and any other respective programs, even just to expose the work being done by students in our field.
AKA, we have a lot of work to do!
Actually first came Univ. Minnesota..first Phd of it's kind...of course MSU with Gregory Stone, Joanne Eicher, etc. Much much older history than NYU and FIT in terms of apparel related degrees and grad school.... But, that's an aside as I get what you're all chatting about re: the competition in NYC. I think it's a challenge how many places offer MA w/o PhD, as these days most jobs want you to have a PhD and often very highly specific ones. I also think it's a challenge how many grad programs are closing, leaving even more grads with fewer places to teach (for example as a career option) and putting Parsons in the interesting position of starting a program when so many others are finding it a bad time and closing. Also, so many NYC programs offer much more limited funding and are not R1 schools, and if you get a degree at them you sometimes cannot get easily hired at an R1 afterward which a quiet issue rarely discussed. But, I think Parsons is smart to pick up the cultural angle, with so many programs going all retail. I wish them the best and think if they stay focused on culture they can have a great program.
ReplyDelete