About the course

The Master in Design Studies (MDes) post professional program at Harvard?s Graduate School of Design is aimed at those who want to pair their design knowledge with tools to enable careers in public service, academia, NGOs, innovative ventures, as well as developing specific expertise for design practice.

　　The MDes program consists of four semesters of coursework with no studios. Applicants select one of four domains of study?Ecologies, Narratives, Publics, and Mediums?and undertake a core set of courses, including research methods and related topical courses. Following that domain foundation, each student then forges an individualized trajectory, leveraging course offerings across the GSD, as well as other schools and departments at Harvard. During their fourth semester, MDes students from all four domains come together to focus on collaborative advanced research in the form of open projects, in which their expertise finds application on a current issue.

　　Distinct from research in the sciences or humanities, design pedagogy involves highly interactive ways of thinking and learning that directly engage the technical, material, spatial, ecological, political, economic, and planetary dimensions of cultural life. Ultimately, MDes at the GSD challenges conventional ways of learning, and achieves a scope and diversity that are unmatched by any other design school in the world. Scholarships - View all scholarships Internships

　　

Start dates and prices

Course fees are indicative and should be used as a guide. Speak to a counsellor to get an accurate price.

　　Duration: 1 Year(s)Fees: US$85,800

Intake	Location
Fall (September), 2024	Cambridge
Fall (September), 2025	Cambridge

　　

How to apply

Entry requirements for Harvard University

You are required to submit transcripts from all colleges and universities from which you've received credit.

　　On the TOEFL iBT, our minimum required score is 92, with minimum section requirements of 23. The preferred TOEFL iBT score is 104, with individual section scores of 26 or above. If your score falls between the minimum and preferred, you will be required to take our English language course the summer before you enroll.

　　

English language requirements

　　6.0

　　Overall IELTS band score

　　Book IELTS

　　About IELTS

　　Practice and prepare

　　TOEFL Internet based overall score: 92.0

　　

Application deadline:

This date isn’t available – speak to an IDP counsellor to get detailed information.

　　

Further information

Career outcomes

　　

Reviews and rankings

World ranking

　　4th / 1250

　　THE World ranking

　　

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