The Master of Design Methods Degree

The Master of Design Methods (MDM) is a nine month (or 2-3 year part-time) executive master's degree for exceptional design, management, engineering and other professionals who wish to acquire robust design methods and frameworks and to apply design thinking to the development of products, communications, services, and systems. MDM courses cover design methods and frameworks in areas like user observation and research; prototyping of new services, products and businesses; creating systems of innovation; visualizing alternative futures; and linking user innovation to organizational strategy.

Qualifications for admission include a minimum of five years professional experience, with evidence of leadership as a team/project leader or product manager; recognition of professional work in the form of awards, publication in professional journals, and letters of evaluation from peers; and specific examples of achievements in design or product development/management.

Background
Companies' knowledge of how to create products and services has grown tremendously in recent years. The increasing capabilities of technology and the development of new business models have exponentially increased the variety of offerings a company can create. At the same time, globalization and increasing market complexity and competition have caused businesses to have less understanding of their customers’ patterns of daily life: how people work, learn, play, manage family life, and keep healthy. This growing "innovation gap" between the increased knowledge of how to create offerings, and decreased understanding of the patterns of daily life, has left companies in a precarious situation, uncertain of what their future offerings should be, or even who their competitors will be.

The Institute of Design's mission is to narrow this innovation gap through the development of new theories, methods and tools that increase companies' ability to figure out what innovations to create. The methods developed and taught at ID focus on the early stages of innovation, where teams determine what products, communications, systems, and services are desirable, feasible, and viable.

Methods for innovation
Knowledge of advanced design thinking and rigorous methods is a proven way for experienced professionals not only to create innovative products, but also to support them with hard research and a clear business case that is linked directly to customer value.

Many MDM students attend the program with funding from their employers. The nine month duration makes it possible to complete the degree during a leave of absence, while the part-time option works well for students already employed in the Chicago area.

"I decided on the MDM degree because I wanted to go beyond aesthetics, to learn design’s application within actual strategic environments. The intensive program emphasized analytical thinking and teamwork on atypical graduate design projects, integrating user-centered research, analysis and collaboration. The focus exceeded form-making and stressed design's value as an equal partnering discipline to business and technology. My education at the Institute of Design further fed my practice as an information designer in making informed decisions toward realizing a meaningful solution, and my attitude that design must serve the needs of people."

- Nate Burgos (MDM 2004) is an award-winning information designer and Principal of Nate Burgos, Inc. He was named one of Fast Company's debut "Fast 50 Champions of Innovation," and received a design grant from Sappi Fine Papers for their "Ideas That Matter" program promoting design for the public good. http://www.designfeast.com/nateburgos

"More than ever, business leaders today understand the value of the designer's toolkit -- user-centered research, iterative prototyping, scenario-building and strategic innovation. The methods taught at the Institute of Design teach designers how to make a case for design in business terms."
- Tim Brown, CEO and President, IDEO

"As an industry-leading company, Steelcase always has an eye on the bottom line, and our research and design teams have to be able to show exactly how their solutions address our market and drive the success of our business. The Institute of Design’s methods-based approach is instrumental in helping them do that."
- James Hackett, CEO and President, Steelcase Inc.

More information:
Careers
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Admissions
Curriculum
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E-mail Rachel Smothers, Director, Graduate Admissions and Retention, rachels@id.iit.edu

Curriculum

The Master of Design Methods requires a total of 30 credit hours of study. The curriculum is given below. Course descriptions can be found in the course catalog.

Required classes - 11 credit hours
Students whose background includes expertise in areas covered by the required courses may seek approval to substitute more advanced courses in their program of study.

514 Design Planning
516 Behavioral Observation
533 Design Analysis
551 Cognitive Human Factors
552 Social Human Factors
553 Cultural Human Factors
559 Physical Human Factors

Specialty classes - 19 credit hours

Seminars
517 Design Languages
520 Communication Planning
521 Product Planning
522 Technological Development and Design Innovation
524 Strategic Design Planning
526 Design Planning and Market Forces
528 Advanced Design Planning
529 Structured Planning
530 Information Structuring
533 Design Analysis
534 Design Synthesis
536 Form-Generation Processes
540 Advanced Communication Design
541 Advanced Product Development
542 Advanced Control Technology
543 Intelligent Products
544 Interface Design
545 Interactive Media
546 Diagram Development
571 Case Study Development
572 Systems and Systems Theory in Design
579 Production Methods

Optional workshops for those with prerequisite design skills
580 Design Workshop
581 Photography Workshop
582 Communication Design Workshop
583 Product Design Workshop
584 Design Planning Workshop
586 Graduate Seminar in Design
588 Interactive Media Workshop

Modified: Tuesday, 01-May-2007 11:52:59 CDT