Location:

Brooklyn, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Industrial Design

Program Overview

Program Description:

The M.I.D program is set to prepare students to become industry leaders, capable of tackling the complexity of design problems in the 21st century. Whether working in corporations or acting as entrepreneurs, students will be able to create products, systems, and environments which help to innovate and improve everyday objects and situations.

The M.I.D program welcomes students without previous professional training in industrial design. Students come from the fields of art, architecture, or interior design, and often with degrees in business, engineering, law, and sociology. Industrial Design graduates also join the group if they are looking to deepen their knowledge and creative outlook. We select a diverse international pool of students and encourage them to exploit their previous professional pursuits in this new context. In the process, students gain a solid understanding of design fundamentals from aesthetic values of 3-dimensional form to critical design thinking.  In accordance with national accreditation standards, we structure our program to address design complexity, innovation, technology and sustainable future planning, all in an interconnected global context.

M.I.D faculty members are professional educators and designers; many of who are principals of their own successful businesses and recipients of prestigious industry awards. Throughout their years of study, students are exposed to the cultural richness and diversity of New York City, with its world-class museums, galleries, and art and design events. Brooklyn, in particular, has recently become a hot spot of young entrepreneurial craft and design culture, and students can learn a great deal from immersing themselves in activities of the bustling contemporary design scene.

The Program’s Structure (Master of Industrial Design)

The M.I.D. degree is a 6-semester, 60-credit program for all students, regardless of previous background, to promote collegiality and cohesion in each incoming group of graduate students. This cohesion is essential to a program that creates a learning environment where “learning from each other” and teamwork happen, and where the richness of the program is enhanced by a strong sense of community.

While our M.I.D. is a generalist, humanist scheme designed to support the varying skills and interests of the students, we recognize that professors and students alike need to be able to share and articulate the structure and content of the program. Therefore, we have clearly designated three years of study as: 1st year “Core” (design thinking, ideation, process, skills), 2nd year “Research” (methodology, topics, sources, electives, pre-thesis), and 3rd year “Thesis” (major individual project). Students can take specialized studios that respond to their individual interests and pursuits. The entire curriculum is designed to offer all students the professional knowledge and skills in historical, societal and global contexts, necessary for becoming successful design professionals.

The Thesis provides the greatest possible freedom and opportunity for pursuit of a selected topic and is done under the direction of the faculty. Candidates are expected to demonstrate the full range of design skills and methodology in their thesis projects. Subjects range from consumer products and packaging to furniture and experiential design, to the impact of emerging philosophies, materials, and technologies. Students register for six credits of thesis over one year, which culminates in a formal presentation to invited jurors followed by the presentation of the work at the Design, a public event attended by industry leaders and potential employers.

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

Accredited by NASAD and the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education.

Financial Aid:

No