Design (M.Des.)

    Design (M.Des.)

    Duration2 year(s)
    Tuition Fee
    USD 51,464 / Years
    Next IntakeAugust 22, 2026
    Design (M.Des.)

    About

    This dual-degree program combines a user-centered, methods-based approach with a management education, making it ideal for professionals who aspire to lead innovation initiatives within global organizations. Students pursue two graduate degrees simultaneously: one with IIT Institute of Design and one with Stuart School of Business.

    Founded by László Moholy-Nagy as The New Bauhaus in 1937, IIT Institute of Design (ID) is known for pioneering human-centered design and systems design. We believe todays designers must move fluidly between strategic thinking and creative doing.

    IDs STEM-designated Master of Design program is a two-year degree for people who want to become strategic designers. Through collaborative projects, students learn to build offerings and service systems that address complex business, civic, and social challenges. Exploring options through rigorous prototyping and critique, students identify directions that provide value, prompt action, and support sustainable change. Upon graduation, students are ready to make a significant impact in the private, public, or nonprofit sector.

    Students with no formal design training are encouraged to apply. Accepted students join a cohort of people from around the world with varying disciplinary backgrounds.

    Disciplines

    Stuart School of Business

    Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    Applicants must have a bachelors degree and are required to submit transcript(s), full mark sheets, and degree/diploma certificates from each institution attended—regardless of whether or not a degree was earned—as well as three letters of recommendation, a portfolio, statement of interest, and a resume or curriculum vitae. There is no minimum work experience requirement, although two to four years of professional experience is preferred. ID considers full-time internships, volunteer work, and freelance projects as formal work experience. TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for any applicant with an undergraduate degree from an institution where the primary language of instruction is not English. We do not require a GRE or GMAT score for any application. However, if you have a score you would like to submit we are happy to include that in your application evaluation. We will accept either the GRE or the GMAT.

    English Requirements

    • PTEMin 48
    • IELTSMin 6
    • TOEFLMin 71

    English Program Requirements

    International students who fit into any of the following categories will be considered to have met the requirement:

    • Residents of a country where English is the only official language and who is a native English speaker
    • Graduates of U.S. high schools
    • Completed the equivalent of Iowa State’s English 150 or 250 with a grade of B or better at an accredited U.S. 2 year or 4 year college or university.

    CONDITIONAL ADMISSION

    If you meet all admission requirements but do not meet our English proficiency requirements, Iowa State offers conditional admission to attend our Intensive English and Orientation Program (IEOP). If you would like to enroll in IEOP, on the application choose "I would like to enroll in Iowa State’s IEOP program before I begin the academic study.”

    Career

    Our students enjoy more than a 90 percent placement rate within six months of graduation.

    Employers come to campus in the fall and spring for recruitID, when students can interview for internship and career opportunities. Through regular careerID programming, students receive ongoing support and guidance on the hiring process and in planning their professional paths.

    ID alumni become leaders across the private and public sectors, serving at the director and executive level in roles like:

    • UX designer
    • Innovation consultant
    • Design strategist
    • Design researcher
    • Educator
    • Entrepreneur
    • Interaction designer
    • Product designer
    • Service designer

    Fee Information

    Design (M.Des.)
    Illinois Institute of Technology
    Illinois Institute of Technology
    United States of America

    United States of America, Chicago

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