The Master of Design (MDes) program exists within a multidisciplinary setting across the Communication Design, Fashion Design and Industrial Design programs housed in the Ullman School of Design at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). The program is rooted in an evidence-based approach that emphasizes design research methods and strategies to address complex sociocultural, environmental, educational, and health challenges.
The Master of Design program has the approved CIP code 11.0105: Human-Centered Technology Design, which makes the program a recognized STEM degree program. STEM designation makes our students eligible for STEM specific Scholarships, 24-month OPT extension for International Students, and expanded GI benefits for Student Veterans.
The P&G Diversity in Design Fellowship has been established to support under-represented minorities with demonstrated financial need in the Master of Design Program at the Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design and includes:
- Full tuition scholarship including all associated fees
- Paid Graduate Assistantship (10 hours of work/week)
- Yearly stipend for additional expenses
- Formal summer semester cooperative education (co-op) with P&G
- Opportunities for mentorship with P&G employees
MDes students materialize these challenges through writing, visualization, and prototyping techniques that result in published scholarship and exhibition. This is a research-driven curriculum, not one of making design artifacts.
MDes students design interventions through strategic investigation and rigorous research protocols. They engage in research methods during their first semester in partnership with faculty from the Ullman School of Design. A thesis topic is identified and developed throughout continued direction in theory, primary, secondary, and applied research, and chair-directed studies. Required courses expand student capability in design research methods and strategy, design discourse, and visual strategies for the dissemination of research.
The objectives of the MDes program are to:
- Focus on Methods: designing understanding
- Focus on Strategy: designing innovative paradigms
- Focus on Systems Thinking: designing dynamic structures to complex problems
- Focus on Evidence: designing applied solutions with measurable results
- Focus on Empathy: designing for social impact
Thesis project topics may focus on – or blur the lines between – research for Communication Design, Fashion Design, and/or Industrial Design. Graduate students work under the guidance of faculty to target domain-specific design applications in real contexts, such as design for aging populations, design for health and wellness, and design for education. The final thesis work is presented and defended visually and in writing. Thesis projects are also exhibited at the annual DAAPworks show. MDes students are expected to work with a high level of independence, motivation, and competence through their education. Students with undergraduate degrees from design-related fields and non-design-related fields are invited to apply to the two-year Master of Design program.