MDes FAQ

Each MDes student has a dedicated work area and storage space within an open plan studio which includes collective prototyping facilities, meeting areas, pin-up walls, and community gathering space. Storage for larger pieces and flat files for graphic work is also available within the studio. Students are highly encouraged to work in the studio to fully participate in this unique collaborative, generative studio environment. The graduate building community, which includes studios for faculty and MFA students, is also equipped with fabrication spaces to facilitate your day-to-day work, and you have full access as well to the making facilities at the Art & Architecture building, including digital fabrication, wood and metal shop, and printmaking.

Each cohort is 8-10 students. There are two cohorts in the program at any time, creating a community of around 15-20 MDes students in any year.

The MDes curriculum is focused on individual work within a collaborative studio environment. Students are able to work collaboratively on projects if they would like, and there may be projects focused on collective work. Primarily, in your studio and thesis work, you are developing your individual work and practice.

Each candidate is considered individually, based on their educational, professional, and life experiences. This includes students hoping to elevate their current design practices, as well as those shifting careers or fields of work. In our effort to bring together diverse perspectives and disciplinary interests in our studio, our students come from a range of past experiences, and linear as well as nontraditional paths to graduate school.

The program takes two years to complete, beginning in the fall semester. It is not possible to finish sooner or take the program as a part-time student. Students must enroll as full-time students. There is an optional fieldwork elective in the summer between the two years.

MDes graduates are prepared to follow any of several possible paths including: working and leading within industry; entrepreneurship; research and strategic thinking; teaching and education; and pursuing a PhD.

Through a considered and investigative studio curriculum, students will articulate a design practice. This includes a considered role of research and social engagement, a clear aesthetic and formal voice, an articulation of enduring curiosities and values, and the frameworks to realize these pursuits. Students engage deeply in project-based learning and creative collaboration to design ethical and innovative work in today’s unpredictable environment.

Yes. Students are required to complete a year-long thesis project that culminates in an exhibition, a public presentation, and a written thesis.

Some design prompts and studio projects may be informed by external partners, including faculty and staff from the University, companies, non-profits, organizations, and community groups. Students will also have the opportunity to connect through the University to develop individual interests through possible mentors, collaborators, and experts to aid their design investigations.

Stamps' Master of Design program is a multi-disciplinary, studio-based graduate degree. Bringing together diverse disciplines and perspectives within design, the program emphasizes values-driven design, material exploration, systems based research, and designing for the future. Through a multi-disciplinary studio environment, students are able to articulate their perspectives and practices, as well as learn from each other. Situated within the Stamps School of Art and Design, students have access to cutting-edge tools to craft traditions, allowing for in-depth material and technological experimentation.

Yes, The MDes program at Stamps is a STEM-designated program.

The Stamps School employs around 40 full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty, 30 full-time lecturers, and 20 affiliated faculty. The total number of graduate students enrolled may be between 35 and 39 in any given year. If you include all the faculty, the ratio is more than two faculty members per graduate student.

Both MDes and MFA degrees are considered terminal degrees within creative and studio-based practices. The Master of Design (MDes) degree combines structured studios with open-ended exploration. The degree prepares students for both professional practice and career development as well as paths towards entrepreneurship and design research.