Program Overview

Introduction to the Tisch School of the Arts

The Tisch School of the Arts is a prestigious institution that offers a wide range of programs in the arts. The school is committed to fostering a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Programs and Departments

The Tisch School of the Arts offers various programs and departments, including:

• Institutes
  • Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
  • Institute of Performing Arts
  • Institute of Emerging Media
  • Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts
• Undergraduate programs
  • Collaborative Arts
  • Dance
  • Drama
  • Performance Studies
  • Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies
  • Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing
  • Undergraduate Film & Television
  • Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
  • Interactive Media Arts (IMA)
  • NYU Game Center
  • Photography & Imaging
  • Open Arts
  • Minors
  • Courses for Non-Majors
• Graduate programs
  • Art & Public Policy
  • Dance
  • Design for Stage & Film
  • Grad Acting
  • Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
  • Performance Studies
  • Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies
  • Graduate Film
  • Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing
  • Virtual Production
  • ITP / Interactive Media Arts (IMA) Low Res.
  • NYU Game Center
  • MA in Media Producing
  • Courses for Non-Majors
• High School Programs
  • High school students participate in college-level artistic training in New York City and online.
• J-Term/Spring/Summer
  • Visiting students and non-majors are invited to take classes during January Term, Spring at Tisch, and Summer.
• Tisch Pro/Online
  • Tisch Pro/Online Courses are non-credit
    on-degree courses giving you professional training in various artistic industries.
• Study Abroad
  • Experience the world in a whole new way through short-term and semester-long study abroad programs.
• Special Programs
  • The Office of Special Programs at Tisch School of the Arts provides access to the arts for various groups, including NYU or visiting college students, high school students, and working professionals.
• Student Affairs
  • The Tisch Office of Student Affairs provides support for students to find meaningful community and success as artists and scholars.
• Research
  • The Initiative supports and highlights research in all modalities, encouraging curiosity, investigation, and entrepreneurism.

Admissions

The admissions process at the Tisch School of the Arts involves an evaluation of previous creative and academic achievements, a clear sense of critical direction, and compatibility with the aims and ideas of the program.

Required Supporting Materials

To apply, the following supporting materials are required:

1. Professional Resume - listing creative and academic background, work experience, creative work, critical writing, civic, activist, and community-based engagements, performances, installations, published work, etc.
2. Statement of Purpose - 500-1,000 words, double-spaced pages, addressing the following questions:

• What has prepared you to come to the Arts Politics M.A. Program? Why now?
• Describe your work, and the relationship between Art and Politics that has arisen in your practice. What questions are you currently exploring?
• What do you want to learn from your time in the Arts Politics M.A. Program? Is there a project or intervention that you want to engage?

3. Writing Sample - 1,500-3,000 words, double-spaced pages, demonstrating your ability to carry out sustained academic research and critical writing.
4. Two Letters of Recommendation - submitted using the online letter of recommendation system.
5. Copies of Academic Transcripts - from any schools in which you received a college degree or attended for two or more years.

Application Deadline and Fee

The application deadline is February 2nd, 2026. There is a $65 application fee, which can be paid by credit card or e-check. Applicants for whom the application fee poses a hardship can request a waiver.

Student Work and Events

The Tisch School of the Arts showcases student work and hosts various events, including the Mercer Street publication, which features essays written by Tisch students. The school also announces the recipients of the Tisch Creative Research Collaborative Impact Grant, which empowers faculty-student/alumni partnerships to drive groundbreaking, interdisciplinary creative research addressing critical global challenges.