Master of Design
Encyclopedia
A Master of Design is a postgraduate academic master degree in the field of Design
awarded several academic institutions around the world. The degree level has different equivalecies; 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 usually follows a Bachelor of Design
degree and requires around two years of study, although there is no governing body or regulations.
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
awarded several academic institutions around the world. The degree level has different equivalecies; some MDes are equivalent to Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
and others to a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
or Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
postgraduate degree in alternative disciplines. It usually follows a Bachelor of Design
Bachelor of Design
A Bachelor of Design degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. It is an arts-centered degree that is a counterpart to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
degree and requires around two years of study, although there is no governing body or regulations.
Awarding institutions
- Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel, awards a M.Des. degree in Industrial DesignIndustrial designIndustrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
in a two year program. - Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, Pittsburgh, PA, 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. - University of CincinnatiUniversity of CincinnatiThe University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, Cincinnati, OH, awards a M.Des. terminal degree in a two year program. - Cranfield UniversityCranfield UniversityCranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
, Cranfield, UK, 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). - University of DundeeUniversity of DundeeThe University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
, Dundee, Scotland awards an MDes over one year of full-time study. - Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK, 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)
- Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, awards a M.Design degree in "Integrated Design" in a two year program.
- Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, Madhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, awards Master of Design in a two year program. - Indian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
, Center for Product Design and Manufacturing, BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, awards a Master of Design in Product Design and Engineering in a two year program. - Indian Institute of Technology GuwahatiIndian Institute of Technology GuwahatiIndian Institute of Technology Guwahati is an autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institute of higher education established by the Government of India, located in Guwahati, in the state of Assam in India...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, awards a M.Des degree in a two year program. - Industrial Design CentreIndustrial Design CentreIndustrial Design Centre is a premier Design School in India, established in 1969, by the government of India at the campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai ....
of the Indian Institute of Technology BombayIndian Institute of Technology BombayThe Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , popularly known as IIT Bombay or IITB, is a public research university located in Powai, Mumbai...
, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, awards a Master of Design degree in Industrial Design, Visual CommunicationVisual communicationVisual communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon...
, AnimationAnimationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, Interaction DesignInteraction designIn design, human–computer interaction, and software development, interaction design, often abbreviated IxD, is "the practice of designing interactive digital products, environments, systems, and services." Like many other design fields interaction design also has an interest in form but its main...
, and Mobility and Vehicle Design. All programs require two years of study. - Ontario College of Art & DesignOntario College of Art & DesignOCAD University is Canada's largest and oldest educational institution for art and design. It is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on McCaul Street beside the Art Gallery of Ontario...
, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, awards a MDes in Strategic Foresight and Innovation in a two year program. - Raffles College of Design and CommerceRaffles College of Design and CommerceRaffles College of Design and Commerce is a private higher education provider based in Sydney, Australia founded in 1978, making it one of the longest-established art schools in Sydney. Raffles College is located in North Sydney and occupies 8 floors of a central office building in the business...
, Sydney, Australia, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in either Digital MediaDigital mediaDigital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
, Fashion DesignFashion designFashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
, Graphic DesignGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
or Interior DesignInterior designInterior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
, in a one and a half year program (one year in the SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
campus). - Royal Academy of ArtRoyal Academy of Art (The Hague)The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague is an art academy in the Netherlands. It is the oldest art academy in Europe. Known in Dutch as "Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Den Haag" it was founded on 29 September 1682 when its predecessor, the Haagsche Teekenakademie was dissolved.- External...
, The Hague, Netherlands, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in Type designType designType design is the art of designing typefaces.- History :Although the technology of printing text using movable type was invented in China, and despite the esteem which calligraphy held in that civilization, the vast number of Chinese characters meant that few distinctive, complete fonts could be...
, in a one-year program. - RMIT UniversityRMIT UniversityRMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
, Melbourne, Australia, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in Communication DesignCommunication designCommunication design is a mixed discipline between design and information-development which is concerned with how media intermission such as printed, crafted, electronic media or presentations communicate with people...
, in a one-year program. - School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, awards a MDes in Designed Objects and a MDes in Fashion, body, and Garment, both in two year programs.
- York UniversityYork UniversityYork University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, awards an M.Des. terminal 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 UniversityCoventry UniversityCoventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
, Coventry, UK, awards MDes in various Industrial Design courses including Transport and Automotive design, in four year programs. - University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, Leeds, UK, awards a Master of Design degree specializing in Product DesignProduct design-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
, 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.