Design

DESIGN PROCESS: Students gain a nuanced understanding of contemporary design processes through observation, iteration, and implementation. We build upon and practice these processes to attend to complex issues in a wide range of societal settings.

PERSONAL PRACTICE: Students develop a variety of techniques and sensibilities in order to identify design opportunities and advocate for contextually significant responses.

COMMUNITY / ENGAGEMENT: We nurture a space of collaboration that prepares students to align compelling design artifacts and proposals with coherent conceptual arguments. Students foster relationships with community partners across various sectors, practices, and services.

SKILLS / APPLICATION: We learn an array of design communication methods that integrate cognition, craft, and technical innovation. Students acquire skills in representation, computation, and fabrication, moving back and forth between physical and digital spaces and technologies. 

DESIGN RESEARCH: Students develop an aptitude in, and an attitude about, qualitative and quantitative design research methods and their applications.

Design Studies; Physical Product Emphasis: Students develop a framework for interdisciplinary roles in design management and product development, as well as the study of material culture through design history, theory, and criticism. They pursue a primary focus in methods that pertain to physical products, experiences, and spatial investigations at multiple scales. 

Design Studies; Digital Product Emphasis: Students develop a framework for interdisciplinary roles in design management and product development, as well as the study of material culture through design history, theory, and criticism. They pursue a primary focus in methods that pertain to a wide range of digital products, services, and user interactions at multiple scales. 

Design Studies; Open Investigation Emphasis: Students develop a framework for interdisciplinary roles in design management and product development, as well as the study of material culture through design history, theory, and criticism. They identify their own unique disciplinary needs and curate a custom set of courses to complement their study in design.

Studio Practice; Physical Product Emphasis: Students develop a design process with an emphasis in studio practice while they pursue a primary focus in methods that pertain to physical products, experiences, and spatial investigations in multiple scales. 

Studio Practice; Digital Product Emphasis: Students develop a design process with an emphasis in studio practice while they pursue a primary focus in methods that pertain to a wide range of digital products, services, and user interactions at multiple scales. 

Studio Practice; Open Investigation Emphasis: Students develop a design process with an emphasis in studio practice while they identify their own unique disciplinary needs and curate a custom set of courses to complement their study in design.