MFA COLLABORATIVE DESIGN + NA DESIGN SYSTEMS

TWO INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT EMPOWER CREATIVE CHANGE-MAKERS TO EXPLORE PATHWAYS IN DESIGN STRATEGY, DESIGN RESEARCH, AND DESIGN APPLICATIONS.

The MFA in Collaborative Design and MA in Design Systems reimagine what design can do in the world, producing creative and ethical leaders who will drive positive impact in private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Students, faculty, partners, and clients work together on complex problems using a collaborative, systems-based, and human-centered approach.

Our curriculum draws on real-world challenges to develop student skills in systems thinking, problem identification, stakeholder engagement, scenario planning, collaboration, visual facilitation, design research, rapid prototyping, cultural entrepreneurship, and creative leadership. Classes are held in the late afternoon and evening to accommodate early- and mid-career creatives who want to accelerate

SKYE MORÉT

Chairwomen

SKYE MORÉT

Skye Morét is a data-driven designer and marine scientist. Her diverse background on the ocean—having sailed 100,000 miles around the globe—fuels her belief in the power of art and design to critically engage citizens with the ecological complexities and interdependencies of our planet.

Her installations have been exhibited at Science Gallery Dublin, the European Parliament in Brussels, the shores of Bali, and at Palmer Station, Antarctica. Skye holds an MFA in Information Design and Visualization from Northeastern University and a BS in Biology from Oregon State University.

Our program believes socially minded, environmentally sensitive designers foster a more humane world that can meaningfully address the emerging challenges of the 21st century, including climate change, racial injustice, poverty, and healthcare. In these rapidly changing contexts, students graduate with a portfolio that demonstrates their ability to critically design and engage in ambitious, collaborative, and entrepreneurial work. Alumni go on to launch successful programs, work for leading design initiatives

DESIGN CONFERENCES

Highlights of the academic year include group trips to regional and international design conferences that offer opportunities for learning about design’s global context while networking with peers. Conferences have included Bend Design, Design Research Society, and the Cumulus Conference.

WEEKEND WORKSHOPS

These three-day intensives offer an opportunity to build specific skills, techniques, and ways of working while benefiting from the domain expertise of instructors drawn from the design field whose inquiries into the intersections of politics, engineering, environmentalism, and design have resulted in a range of provocative and innovative projects.

Topics of exploration have included web-based networks that regulate social and environmental accountability, mapping software that enables people to avoid CCTV surveillance, urban pollution data visualization, bio-inspired design, tsunami cleanup strategy, gardening robots, edible clouds, and crossspecies picnics.