Master of Design Research at Drexel University

Drexel University

United States of America, Philadelphia

University Rank:#711

International students can study the Design Research at Drexel University at its main campus in Philadelphia, United States of America. This Master degree is available as a Full Time program delivered on campus in English. The program has a duration of 2 years and is offered at the university's main campus. Students can apply for the next intake starting on September 26, 2027.

About Master of Design Research

We train question makers, strategists, collaborative leaders, and design thinkers! The Dexel Ms Design Research (MsDes) is the innovative, interdisciplinary, and distinguished program for you to become a design leader in the 21st-century workplace.

Created to serve students across all design disciplines, creatives, and those looking to make a career change, our program is a self-tailored, yet structured and guided, program. This engagement-oriented program includes extensive coursework in social interest design, design-led strategy, and future-oriented technologies. Students in the program produce a wide range of new knowledge related to emerging technologies, services, spaces, products, and experiences. Design research in our program is a way of creating new knowledge that drives innovative design processes and collaborative problem-solving.

Alumni from our program work across multiple industries, in complex settings with interdisciplinary teams including the non-profit, academic, health, product development, fashion, manufacturing, built environment, and financial sectors. Students in our Design Research Program are specifically educated and challenged in design and strategy, across diverse contexts. All are exposed to a wide range of research and design practices through multiple collaborations with both academic and professional partners.

This 48-credit program is can be taken either full, or part-time, and we offer a range of modalities through our coursework to suit all schedules, including those with full-time work commitments. Our diverse range of current and past self-developed student topics include: circular design for service design futures, assistive tools for those in need of ambulatory access and transportation, shelter systems in the nonprofit disaster relief space, artificial intelligence and blockchain for human uses, services for sustainable living, health and community in education. The program includes making, research, fabrication, collaboration, and human-centered design thinking. The MS in Design Research program is part of the nationally-ranked Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, housed in award-winning, technologically enhanced facilities, and taught by faculty who have worked at the top of their fields. Situated in the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism, the program benefits from its associations with faculty and students in the Interior Architecture & Design and Urban Strategy graduate programs. The program focuses on providing a forum for students to pursue paths of inquiry and investigation within design, technology, social impact, community, environmental design, and health. This flexible program operates with a core curriculum that is built on and augmented by a customized set of electives and the second-year thesis sequence. The curriculum, though self-directed, is grounded in research, studio class work, philosophy, theory, and iterative making. Through deep cross-collaboration, our students create cutting-edge solutions and speculative environments to study culture and human-centered design.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Design Research at Drexel University

Entry Requirements

Transcripts

Official transcripts must be sent directly to Drexel from all of the colleges and universities that you have attended. Please note that transcripts are required regardless of number of credits taken or if the credits were transferred to another school. An admission decision may be delayed if you do not send transcripts from all colleges and universities that you have attended.

Transcripts must show course-by-course grades and degree conferrals. If your school does not notate degree conferrals on the official transcripts, you must provide copies of any graduate or degree certificates.

If your school issues only one transcript for life, you are required to have a course-by-course evaluation completed by an approved transcript evaluation agency.

Precise, word-for-word English translations of all non-English language documents are required along with official documents in the original language. All translations must be completed by the issuing institution or an ATA-certified translator. Visit the American Translators Association website to search for an ATA-certified translator.

International students: If you have already graduated from your previous institution at the time of your application, please email your graduation certificate(s) attached as PDF or Microsoft Word documents to [email protected]. Note: Any international applicant, regardless of program, may be required to provide a transcript evaluation should the Admissions Committee determine it is needed for the application to be reviewed. If your transcripts are selected for a course-by-course evaluation by an external agency, you will be responsible for supplying all necessary documentation and paying all necessary fees to have your transcripts evaluated.

If you have questions regarding what documents you must submit to fulfill the transcript requirements, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Standardized Test Scores

GRE test scores are not required.

Test of English as a Foreign Language

International applicants are required to demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL minimum scores: 80/550/213), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test of English (PTE minimum score: 53) unless they meet the criteria for a waiver.

Essay

Please write an essay describing your career goals, including specific research and scholarly interests. Please be sure to indicate how your interests coincide with those of particular School of Education Faculty members.

Submit your essay with your application or through the Discover Drexel portal after you submit your application.

Résumé

Upload your résumé as part of your admission application or through the Discover Drexel Portal after you submit your application.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. To electronically request recommendations, you must list your recommenders and their contact information on your application. We advise that you follow up with your recommenders to ensure they received your recommendation request — they may need to check their junk mail folder. Additionally, it is your responsibility to confirm that your recommenders will submit letters by your application deadline and follow up with recommenders who have not completed their recommendations.

Request recommendations with your application or through the Discover Drexel portal after you submit your application.

Alternatively, you may submit your recommendation letters by mail. Letters must include the address, phone number, and signature of the recommender. The recommendation envelope must be submitted unopened to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Recommenders should be able to speak to your academic performance.

Interview

Virtual, in-person, or telephone interview required for qualified applicants.

Academic Experience

Admission to this program requires a minimum 3.25 GPA (a 3.5 is preferred).

Writing Sample

Please submit a sample of scholarly writing, including but not limited to published articles, theses, or term papers, by mail or email as an attachment to [email protected].

Mailing Addresses

By Postal Mail

Drexel University
Application Processing
PO Box 34789
Philadelphia, PA 19101-4789

By Express Courier

(DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.)
Drexel University
Application Processing
3141 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2876

English Requirements

PTEMin 53
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 80

Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Design Research at Drexel University

Application Fee 65

How to Apply for Master of Design Research at Drexel University

1. Review Your Program's Requirements and Application Deadlines

It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials required for the evaluation of your application are received by the Office of Admissions before the deadline. If your application is not complete by your program's deadline date, it may not be evaluated for the term requested.

Individual programs have specific deadlines and requirements. Please review your program's requirements and deadlines before beginning your application.

If you are a returning student who has previously enrolled in graduate coursework at Drexel University, please refer to the readmission instructions for requirements. Non-matriculated applicants should refer to the graduate application process.

2. Read the Application Instructions

Please review the graduate application process, and be sure to submit all required materials before your application deadline.

3. Complete Your Application

Applicants may only apply to one program. All documents submitted by you or on your behalf in support of this application for admission to Drexel University become the property of the University, and will under no circumstances be released to you or any other party.

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4. Submit Your Supplemental Materials

Refer to the program requirements and deadlines for program-specific requirements.

5. Apply for Financial Assistance

Visit Drexel Central to learn how to apply for financial assistance. Drexel's Federal School Code is 003256.

6. Check Your Application Status

After your admission application has been processed, you will receive an email that gives you access to the Discover Drexel portal to check the status of your application.

6. تحقق من حالة التطبيق الخاص بك

Master of Design Research at Drexel University

Drexel University

United States of America, Philadelphia