Master of Design

A Master of Design (MDes, M.Des. or M.Design) is a postgraduate academic master degree in the field of Design awarded by several academic institutions around the world. The degree level has different equivalencies; some MDes are equivalent to Master of Fine Arts and others to a Master of Arts or Master of Science postgraduate degree in alternative disciplines. It often follows a Bachelor of Design degree and requires around two years of study & research in design.

Awarding institutions

• The Basel School of Design, Basel, Switzerland, awards a dual degree MDes/MAS in Graphic Design. A two-year program in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)^[1]
• Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel, awards a M.Des. degree in Industrial Design in a two-year program.^[2][3]
• Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, United States, awards two-year MDes degrees in Communication Planning and Information Design (offered jointly with the School of English), as well as interaction design, both through the School of Design. Both are terminal degrees in a two-year program.^[4]
• University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, United States, awards a M.Des. terminal degree in a two-year program.^[5]
• Centre for Design Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom, awards an MDes in Innovation and Creativity in Industry and an MDes in Design and Innovation for Sustainability, both through the Centre for Competitive Creative Design (C4D).
• Coventry University West Midlands, United Kingdom, awards an MDes after a 4th year of study after the 3 year Product Design BA course
• University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland awards an MDes over one year of full-time study.
• Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, awards MDes Design with pathways in digital arts, graphic design, interaction design, interdisciplinary design, interior architecture, product design, sustainability, and urbanism. The course is taken full-time over 3 trimesters (12 months)^[6]
• Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada, awards a Master of Design degree that is a full-time research-oriented, two-year program in interdisciplinary design
• The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, United Kingdom, awards Master of Design degrees in design innovation (with service design, environmental design or citizenship), communication design (graphics, illustration, photography), fashion and textiles, interior design, digital culture, and sound for moving image. Courses are taken full-time during 3 trimesters over 12 or 24 months)^[7]
• Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, awards a M.Design degree in "Integrated Design" in a two-year program.^[2][8]

• Indian Institute of Science, Center for Product Design and Manufacturing, Bangalore, India, awards a Master of Design in Product Design and Engineering in a two-year program.^[9]
• Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Kancheepuram, offers a M.Des course in Electronics, Communication and Mechanical system design.^[10]
• Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India, awards a M.Des degree in a two-year program.^[11]
• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India, awards a M.Des degree in a two-year program.^[12]
• Industrial Design Centre of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, awards a Master of Design degree in Industrial Design, Visual Communication, Animation, Interaction Design, and Mobility and Vehicle Design.^[13] All programs require two years of study.
• Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India, awards a M.Des degree in a two-year program.^[14]

• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, India awards a M.Des degree in Product Design, Interaction Design & Visual Communication and also PhD in Design.^[15]

• Indian Institute of Technology Delhi offers post-graduate programs in M.Des and the admission is through CEED(Common entrance exam of design).

• IIT Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, United States, awards a Master of Design degree and a joint degree Master of Design/Master of Business Administration (with IIT Stuart School of Business).^[16]

• Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey awards a Master of Design degree in Design Studies. The two-year program is offered in English.

• Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, awards a MDes in Strategic Foresight and Innovation in a two-year program.^[17]

• PolyU Design, Hong Kong, awards Master of Design degree in Design Practices, Design Strategies, Interaction Design, International Design and Business Management and Urban Environments Design. These are 1-year programs taken full-time during 3 trimesters.^[18]
• Raffles College of Design and Commerce, Sydney, Australia, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in either Digital Media, Fashion Design, Graphic Design or Interior Design, in a one and a half year program (one year in the Singapore campus).^[19]
• Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, London, United Kingdom, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in either Design Management, Service Design, or Luxury Brand Management, in a one-year program (full-time) or two years (part-time).^[20]
• Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, offers a 2+ year program focused in Adaptive Reuse Architecture.
• The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, awards a Master of Design degree in Contextualised Practice in a one-year program (full-time) or two years (part-time).^[21]
• Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in Type design, in a one-year program.^[22]
• RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in Communication Design, in a one and a half year program.^[23]
• Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, awards a Master of Design degree in a two-year program.^[24]
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, awards a MDes in Designed Objects and a MDes in Fashion, body, and Garment, both in two-year programs.^[25]
• York University, Toronto, awards an M.Des. terminal degree in a two-year program.^[26]
• NSCAD University, Halifax, awards a Master of Design following three semesters or one calendar year of study, requiring graduates to propose and complete a final research project.^[27]
• Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina awards a Master in Design Management in a two-year program (part-time).^[28]
• National Institute of Fashion Technology offers Master programmes in M.Des (master in design), M.F.M. (Master in Fashion Management) M. FTech. (Master in Fashion Technology) ^[29]
• School of Design Studies – UPES Dehradun offers M.Des degrees in (a)Industrial design, (b)Product Design, (c)Interior Design, (d)Transportation Design
• University of Washington awards a Master of Design degree in a two-year program.

Undergraduate studies

Some European institutions award an undergraduate MDes degree. Like all European master degrees, this usually requires a four-year program with a research project or dissertation.

• Coventry University, Coventry, UK, awards MDes in various Industrial Design courses including Transport and Automotive design, in four-year programs.^[30]
• University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in Product Design, in a 4-year undergraduate program. Students are awarded a BDes after 3 years and can continue to a 4th year after which they receive a MDes.^[31]

• De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, awards a Master of Design degree specialising in Design Products, in a 4-year undergraduate program. It also offers part-time study opportunity to complete in 7 years.Students are awarded a MDes. after the successful completion of the programme ^[32]

References