The New School
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 courageous intellectuals and creatives, 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 faculty across all schools and colleges of The New School, which includes a renowned design school, a world-class performing arts college, and internationally acclaimed graduate schools. At Lang, we don’t retreat from the world. We engage with it.
Lang stands out through its unique blend of academic offerings, interdisciplinary approach to education, engaged faculty, and urban campus. Having New York City as our campus creates a dynamic and engaging learning environment for our students, and faculty are actively involved in their respective fields.
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.
At Lang we offer two unique programs that help students achieve a secondary degree of their choosing through our BA/BFA dual-degree program (with Parsons School of Design or The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music), or simultaneously pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees through our Bachelor’s-Master’s pathway at one of our renowned graduate schools.
Get to know The New School
College Highlights
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
At Lang, the classroom is in constant dialogue with the surrounding world. Lang courses connect what students are learning to the big questions of our time. Many of your classes will bring in individuals and organizations engaging in the kind of work discussed in class, allowing you to learn first hand from local activists, artists, policymakers, and community leaders. Lang’s Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice (CESJ) offers opportunities for students to apply their passion for social justice through academic and community-building work in New York City and beyond.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Lang is a seminar-based college, which means that you will be challenged to engage in dynamic projects that enrich your learning. All of Lang’s social science and interdisciplinary science majors, for instance, do some type of in-depth research project, with many more students following their passions through independent work and research as well.
The college offers two competitive undergraduate research programs:
- The Dean’s Honor Symposium – This annual opportunity allows students to present their academic work and co-curricular projects to The New School community. Students from any academic discipline have the chance to work one-on-one with a faculty member to complete outstanding projects that they may present to the academic community
- Lang Social Science Fellowship—Research & Practice – This program provides Lang College students with a distinctive intellectual and practical opportunity that combines social science research with hands-on experience in government, private firms, and civic and advocacy organizations. During the summer, fellows intern at a host organization while working with a New School Ph.D. candidate to develop a research project related to their internship.
ACADEMIC DISCOVERY
Lang’s education is fundamentally interdisciplinary in nature. You’ll be encouraged to embrace the newness of your college experience by exploring a broad range of liberal arts courses during your first year. All students enter Lang undeclared and do not declare their formal major until their sophomore year.
INTERDISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE
Among Lang’s 20+ majors is the Liberal Arts (Self-Designed) major. This self-designed program encourages you to think deeply about issues and make connections across multiple fields of study. As a Liberal Arts major, you ask difficult questions, create new knowledge through research, and express yourself boldly and persuasively through oral and written communications. Through these experiences, you gain skills, knowledge, and confidence that will provide a foundation on which to pursue any number of careers.
Because the Liberal Arts curriculum is so flexible, you have exciting opportunities to take courses throughout The New School—at Parsons School of Design, the College of Performing Arts, and the Schools of Public Engagement.
DUAL DEGREE
Lang offers a BA/BFA dual degree program that is designed for students who want a comprehensive education in liberal arts and music or the arts. Students on this pathway complete a five-year curriculum, which leads to the award of both a BA from Eugene Lang College and a BFA from either Parsons School of Design or the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at the College of Performing Arts. Students who choose to pursue this pathway receive careful advising to ensure that they meet the requirements of both degrees.
CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Make the most of the university’s vibrant interdisciplinary culture by joining a student group—or starting one yourself. At The New School, you’re surrounded by peers who are as passionate and curious as you are: scholars involved in a diverse range of activities, from identity-based groups such as the Queer Collective and Black Student Union to civically engaged organizations such as the University Student Senate, and arts-focused collectives dedicated to showcasing groundbreaking dance and theatrical productions, literary excellence, and more.
READY FOR THE REAL WORLD
Practical experience in the contemporary context is an important complement to theoretical discourse. That’s why Lang connects what you’re learning in the classroom to the big questions and problems of the day. A broad spectrum of programs and engaged learning opportunities allow you to apply what you’re learning in the classroom in real-world contexts. Check out Lang’s news blog to see how students and alumni are addressing contemporary issues beyond the classroom.
The liberal arts education Lang provides produces graduates who are well prepared for today’s rapidly evolving working world. Students at Eugene Lang College develop the critical thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary competencies that are increasingly in demand. They are responsive to global and societal shifts and understand that having a successful career means continuously developing as a person and professional.
Lang graduates go on to fulfilling careers in today’s top industries. Among recent alumni are entertainers, influential journalists who have started new online platforms, activists working in local grassroots and national organizations, award-winning scholars and authors, and notable socially responsible entrepreneurs and executives.
Contact The New School
Contact Admissions
newschool.edu/lang/admission
(212) 229-5150
admission@newschool.edu
Campus Location
72 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011