MFA Design Curriculum
Degree candidates must successfully complete 60 credits, including all required courses, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. A residency of two academic years is required.
In the first year, students will be given advanced instruction in a variety of authoring skills, such as writing, editing, criticism, typography as a visual language, Film and new media directing, visual journalism and book and magazine publishing. Along with these skills-based classes, courses in marketing, research, advertising, promotion, publicity, intellectual property and networking will be offered.
The goal of the second year is product-oriented. Participants are required to devise and develop a viable idea for a specialty market. Students will write and design a proposal for a product that will be presented to a panel of "guest faculty" who will decide whether it has enough merit to progress to the developmental stage. At the developmental stage, students will produce a prototype for backers, publishers, producers or distributors. Working individually, this final proposal, dummy or prototype will be professionally produced for presentation purposes.
General Requirements
- Successful completion of 60 credits, including all required courses and the thesis project. Documentation of all thesis projects must be on file with the MFA Design Department to be eligible for degree conferral.
- Students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in order to remain in good academic standing.
- A matriculation of two academic years is required. Students must complete their degree within four years, unless given an official extension by the provost.
First Year Requirements
First-Year Course Requirements
Fall Semester
DSG-5213 Milton Glaser Series: Professional Practice
DSG-5390 Where the Truth Lies: Persuasion, Information, Enlightenment
DSG-5410 Type for Masters
DSG-5470 Interaction Aesthetics: Designing Digital Products for the 21st Century
DSG-5480 Design and Branding
Spring Semester
DSG-5130 Writing and Designing the Visual Book
DSG-5250 Thesis Introduction
DSG-5450 Design Decisions
DSG-5642 The Joy of User Experience
DSG-5645 Designing Value
DSG-5677 Designing Beyond Boundaries
Second-Year Requirements
Second-Year Course Requirements
Fall Semester
DSG-6030 Intellectual Property and the Law
DSG-6050 Seminars I
DSG-6061 Thesis Matrix
DSG-6070 Thesis Preparation
DSG-6085 Designing a Business
DSG-6180 Brand Concepts
Spring Semester
DSG-6055 Seminars II
DSG-6090 Thesis Consultation (production)
DSG-6120 Thesis Consultation (pitch and presentation)
DSG-6130 Thesis Video and Media Launch
DSG-6610 Design to Context
General Course Listing
General Course Listing
The following reflects the 2025-2026 course offerings. For further details on individual courses, such as meeting days and times, please refer to the Graduate Course Listing.
DSG-5130
Writing and Designing the Visual Book
3 credits
This course combines design and literature to create integrated and meaningful expression. Students will develop their creative writing skills through a sequence of exercises in continuous writing, observational writing, titling objects and images, theatrical improvisation, storytelling, writing from different points of view, structuring a narrative and editing. Selected texts from exercises are then set into a variety of book formats, using any combination of book structures, typography, images and symbols. Emphasis is placed on discovering a visual form that emerges out of the meaning and shape of an original text. Historical and contemporary examples of “visual text” will be presented.
DSG-5213
Milton Glaser Series: Professional Practice
3 credits
The Milton Glaser Series is a dynamic and immersive course designed to provide students with unparalleled access to the minds and workspaces of some of the most influential figures in contemporary design. Named in honor of the legendary designer Milton Glaser, who taught in the program, this series celebrates his legacy by fostering a deep understanding of the professional practices of leading designers, exposing students to a diverse range of perspectives and methodologies within the field of design. It fosters critical thinking and dialogue about the designer's role as agent of social change.
DSG-5250
Thesis Introduction
3 credits
In this course students will build essential skills required for the conception and development of their thesis. This will be an intensive where students explore what is personally significant to them, examine industries and research social organizations toward the goal of developing thesis concepts. By the end of the course, students will have identified areas of interest and built initial concepts to be further explored for the final thesis.
DSG-5390
Where the Truth Lies: Persuasion, Information, Enlightenment
3 credits
This course will survey the idea and practice of propaganda from its religious roots to early 20th-century propaganda to the practice of spin and the current threat of artificially generated News. Half of each session is devoted to participatory lectures, guests and inquiry. The other half will involve students presenting one-offs and campaigns composed of design narratives—including iconic signs, symbols and original alphabets—that will alternately express personal and universal concerns.
DSG-5410
Type for Masters
3 credits
This course will be dedicated to type and typography in order to help raise typographic fluency through classes and exercises. It will allow students to refine and refresh their skills and tool kit. In addition, the course will provide critiques of work for other first-semester classes.
DSG-5450
Design Decisions
1.5 credits
Design Decisions is a course on design thinking and design making. It acknowledges that designers deal with scale and, as a result, are capable of creating powerful design gestures that multiply out into powerful design consequences. The course is hands-on; students will build prototypes and create sketches each week, exploring design through various design lenses and personal points of view.
DSG-5470
Interaction Aesthetics: Designing Digital Products for the 21st Century
3 credits
User-centered interactive design is the focus of this course. It will examine how to put users at the heart of the experience, and explore the fundamental building blocks of all successful interactive products. Students will work on a semester-long project that will address the core phases of creating a successful digital product. All projects must consider how the product will adapt to specific platforms, including desktop, mobile, tablet, wearables, and the Internet of things. Guest speakers will share their insights of creating and working in the interactive realm.
DSG-5480
Design and Branding
3 credits
In this course students will develop a comprehensive brand identity that reinforces the narrative of a chosen business or service. Our theoretical readings will be complemented with historical competitive audits to identify and leverage unique opportunities to develop the brand’s story. Critical thinking, iterative design methodology, and a synthesis of research, design production and presentation will be emphasized.
DSG-5642
The Joy of User Experience
3 credits
This course focuses on key principles and best practices of user experience (UX). Students will explore a variety of user-first methodologies and processes, related to both physical and digital, in order to develop end-to-end holistic experiences across multiple touchpoints. Students will explore their thesis through the lens of user experience with a variety of methodologies and exercises.
DSG-5645
Designing Value
3 credits
Successful ventures are technically feasible, financially viable and desirable on a personable level. But—who is doing the desiring? What do they want? And how will they trust that they are getting it? This course will guide thesis projects through the desirability lens using design research methodology, and arrive at insights that inform the design principles, value proposition and business model of each venture.
DSG-5677
Designing Beyond Boundaries
1.5 credits
Exceptional design systems operate at the scale of life. In this course students will explore the intersection of story, personal design voice and adventurous-making through the creation of visual narratives at scale. Students will visualize creative ideas from button to billboard. Emphasis will be on experimentation with typography, imagery, motion, AI tools, and other materials to create compelling narratives that resonate. In addition to hands-on design projects, the course will incorporate critiques, discussions on design history and the analysis of real-world examples. Students will engage in critical thinking exercises to understand the role of design at scale in business contexts. The goal is for each student to craft a cohesive suite of design artifacts that operates at a wide range of amplitudes (mild to wild) and uses cases, tells compelling stories, and demonstrates a sophistication and adaptability of design and typography skills.
DSG-6030
Intellectual Property and the Law
1.5 credits
The general concepts of law and intellectual property law as they apply to the practice of design will be examined, including basic legal issues of contract and property law, within the creative context. Among the topics explored will be the work-for-hire agreement, the consignment agreement and the agency agreement. The law of copyright, trademark and patents will also be explored. Issues such as registering a copyright, copyright infringement, registering a trademark and trade dress infringement and patents (in particular, design patents) will be examined from the perspective of the professional designer. In addition, design and information issues presented by new technology, such as the web, will be included throughout the course.
DSG-6050 / DSG-6055
Seminars I and II
1 credit per seminar section
To enliven the program and bring students into contact with a significant number of working professionals, a series of workshops will be scheduled each semester. Seminar topics will change from year to year based on student interest and shifts in the overall field.
DSG-6061
Thesis Matrix
3 credits
This course is the starting point for thesis preparation and development, offering an overview of the thesis process. Guidelines for the form of each student’s original idea will be given. The various components of the thesis process will be addressed.
DSG-6070
Thesis Preparation
3 credits
This course prepares students for full-scale graduate thesis development. Students will review their venture’s purpose and opportunity, expand understanding of user and community needs, and uncover insights to drive key design decisions and chart new territories of value. Throughout the semester, students will initiate a habit of iterative design thinking and making to move their venture through phases of low- to high-fidelity sketches/proof-of-concepts/prototypes, in preparation for an eventual pilot and viable launch.
DSG-6085
Designing a Business
1.5 credits
Designing a business is not just about building a successful product. A venture can only succeed if it has a realistic (and profitable) business model, a deep understanding of its customers, the competition and the marketplace, and a thoughtful go-to-market strategy. This course will go through the basics of venture design, including value proposition design, business model design, testing business ideas and understanding the business model environment. Using real-world examples and each designer's own venture, students will complete the course with a framework for creating, launching and scaling a successful venture.
DSG-6090
Thesis Consultation (Production)
3 credits
Building on the research and concepting work done to date, students will complete the development of their thesis project resulting in a well-designed product prototype ready to be marketed. Students will explore a range of designs that speak to the heart of their customers, and translate those needs into tangible core product deliverables. This course takes a holistic approach to thesis projects. With the input of thesis advisors, students will also demonstrate viability, market research and business capability. A final presentation to the Thesis Defense Committee is required. The MFA degree will not be conferred without approval by the Committee.
DSG-6120
Thesis Consultation (Pitch and Presentation)
3 credits
In this intensive course, students will develop a viable and professional pitch book and video to use as a tool to bring their thesis product to potential producers, investors and the market. In addition, they will be given tutorials on how to deliver a verbal pitch to potential backers and clients.
DSG-6130
Thesis Video and Media Launch
3 credits
The video created in this course will define the essential need for the product, what it does, and how it will be viable. The resulting spot (30 seconds to two minutes) will become a cornerstone of each student’s marketing and fundraising plans. This course is divided into conception and production sections. Students will develop narratives through storyboards and scripts. Shooting, lighting, sound, editing and authoring skills and software programs will be covered. In addition, collaborative class projects are dedicated to concept, design and production of branding and packaging for the Thesis Forum.
DSG-6180
Brand Concepts
3 credits
Various approaches to building a brand identity system for your venture will be explored in this course. We will discuss your venture’s purpose and the motivations for pursuing it, and find inventive ways in which to embody your ideas. The first few projects will be ambitious and experimental; the final project will be strategic and practical. The goal is to lock your venture’s brand and be ready to move on to preparing for the pitch and launch.
DSG-6610
Design to Context
3 credits
This course supports the culmination of the MFA Design thesis. We will examine the core product/service and ancillaries of each student’s venture as contextually experienced by audiences in order to maximize relevance, resonance and remarkability. Expect to build focused yet immersive story worlds that guide audiences from a state of ambivalence to action, deliver on ambitious yet achievable goals within scope/schedule and engage in rigorous peer/guest reviews.
DSG-6632
Thesis Extension
3 credits
This course is designed for students who have not met the unanimous approval of the Thesis Committee, or who need an additional semester to complete their projects. Students will have full access to all facilities, participate in an appropriate critique course and continue to work with their thesis advisor.
