NYSID and Sotheby's Institute of Art launch collaborative master's degree program

A first of its kind two-year graduate program that combines the study of art business and connoisseurship with hands-on training in interior design to debut Fall 2011

New York, NY - March 2011 - Dr. David C. Levy, President of Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and Dr. Christopher J. Cyphers, President of New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) today announced a collaborative 2-year graduate program leading to both a Master’s Degree from Sotheby’s Institute and an interior design Certificate from NYSID.

This landmark program offers the unprecedented opportunity for its students to supplement their course work at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, which offers professionally focused MA degrees in art business, contemporary art and American fine and decorative arts, with a year of hands-on studio training in interior design at NYSID.

“For many years we have sought a way to serve our student’s career interest in interior design,” said Dr. Levy. “This program’s integration of art history, art business and hands-on design, provides a unique opportunity for our students to combine the professional knowledge of the international art world and its markets, taught in the Institute’s MA programs, with the in-depth, studio-based interior design training at NYSID.”

Graduates will receive both an MA in their chosen field at Sotheby's Institute, and a Certificate in Basic Interior Design from NYSID, one of this country’s leading educational institutions for interior design. A particularly innovative feature of the program is the substitution of a dynamic interior design project in place of the traditional research-based master’s thesis.

“This partnership with Sotheby’s Institute of Art is a logical marriage of our respective strengths, and something about which we are very excited,” said Dr. Cyphers. “Students from Sotheby’s Institute who opt to pursue the NYSID Certificate will enjoy an opportunity to add another dimension to their graduate education, and most certainly expand their range of career options. For our part, having students from the Sotheby’s Master’s program in our design studios with our students will make for a far richer and textured academic experience.”

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About NYSID
Founded in 1916, the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) is New York’s only private, not-for-profit college devoted exclusively to interior design education and related disciplines. NYSID’s guiding principle is that the interior environment is a fundamental element of human welfare, and the college is committed to actively improving, through design, the quality of life for all segments of humanity. This ideal is put into practice by a dedicated faculty of well-known designers, architects, art historians, and authorities in the field who guide a diverse student body of over 750 full- and part-time students. NYSID offers certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs in the fields of interior design, design history and theory, interior lighting, and sustainable design. The college is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and NYSID’s BFA is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).

About Sotheby’s Institute for Art
For more than forty years, Sotheby’s institute of Art has been preparing students for diverse and successful careers in the international art world. Today, Sotheby’s Institute of Art comprises academic campuses in London, New York and Singapore and also offers courses online. Its international focus reflects a commitment to interactive professional education that draws creatively upon the resources of important art centers worldwide. MA and PhD degrees are awarded in London through the University of Manchester (UK) and combine academic study with professional education. The New York campus holds MA degree-granting authority from the Regents of the State of New York and has been an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design since 1989. Professional development, continuing education study-abroad and summer sessions are offered in both London and New York. The Institutes’ faculty includes scholars and renowned practitioners in the art world, enhanced by experts from Sotheby’s auction house. Guest lecturers include distinguished scholars, dealers, museum directors, conservators, critics, curators, artists, and consultants. The Institute has more than 6,000 alumni worldwide. Sotheby’s Institute of Art is a division of Cambridge Information Group. For more information visit www.sothebysinstitute.com

About Cambridge Information Group
Cambridge Information Group is an investment firm primarily focused on education, research and information services companies. Founded in 1971, CIG continues under the same family stewardship today, with a focus on building companies for long-term success. Headquartered in New York, NY and Bethesda, Maryland, CIG’s operating companies employ more than 2,100 people in offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.cigcompanies.com

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