For the past 100 years, the School of Architecture, Design and Planning has been at the forefront in its approach to architecture and acknowledged for meeting the demands of the education and industry landscape.
To be launched during the Cathedral Thinking Centenary Symposium, the Master of Design will specialise in Design Innovation (focusing on creating design-led solutions) and Strategic Design (offering a framework for developing design-led visions). This answers the demand from students as well as the industry for a postgraduate degree that takes an interdisciplinary perspective on design.
Building on the foundations the School has laid in history, technology, science and social science, the Master of Design offers specialist postgraduate training that can be applied across a wide range of disciplines. This degree introduces the principles and methods for using design to achieve innovation and strategic outcomes, and how to apply them in real-world design projects.
Students will be immersed in both analytical and creative thinking and learn how to draw on design to understand complex situations and to drive change across economies and companies.
“We did an analysis of global trends in the education and industry sectors, which informed the choice of specialisations and the curriculum of the program,” said Associate Professor Martin Tomitsch, Chair of Design and Director of the Design Lab, School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
“Students will be immersed in both analytical and creative thinking and learn how to draw on design to understand complex situations and to drive change across economies and companies — whether that’s to innovate the products they are offering, the way they run their organisation, or how they communicate with their customers.”
Students undertaking the Master of Design, will not only work on real-world projects, but also have the opportunity to complete an internship and to pursue their capstone project in collaboration with an industry partner.
“All successful businesses need to continually create new value for their customers. Design is the discipline of creating new value, so I believe an understanding of design will become at least as important as accounting, law and marketing - the Master in Design will become the new MBA for innovation and strategy,” said School of Architecture, Design and Planning alumnus, Crighton Nichols, Design PhD Cross-cultural design and innovation.