The Master of Fine Arts program in Design and Technology (MFA DT) was launched in the fall of 1997 at Parsons School of Design, with the aim of bridging design principles and digital technologies. Sven Travis was the first chair of the new program. When Parsons reorganized in the 2000s, the program became part of Parsons' School of Art, Media, and Technology (AMT). According to the program website, MFA DT's full-residency, two-year, 60-credit curriculum is "studio based, but critical thinking and study of the design process are central to the program." Students gain experience in the following areas of practice: interaction design, physical computing, game design, new media art, digital fabrication, data visualization, and critical design.

The program includes Collaboration Studio courses where students work on real-world projects with industry firms and nonprofit organizations. Past partners include Red Bull, Intel, Apple, Eyebeam, gameLab, Human Rights Watch, Mozilla, NASA, the Red Cross, Samsung, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Students also collaborate with their peers from other programs and colleges of The New School. Besides the core courses, students may take elective courses offered throughout the New School. As of 2019, John Sharp is the Program Director. [1]

According to the course description for the Spring 2019 Thesis Studio, students are encouraged to develop a research-based artistic practice:

[The MFA DT thesis] is a systematic investigation of a research question based in the domains of art, design or technology. It requires students to identify an area of study, research its major assumptions and precedents, explain the significance and originality of their undertaking, set forth the process and method for proposing solutions, create prototypes, and offer a conclusion through the production of a body of work. The finished project must evidence originality and experimentation, critical and independent thinking, appropriate organization and format, and thorough documentation. The Thesis Project can take many forms, from fine art works, to soft/hardware tools, interactive installations, online experiences, or social experiments. It should demonstrate the application of ideas within an applied context, whether it be in the areas of design, art, commerce, or theory." [2]