Product Design (MDes)

Our faculty of practitioners means you'll have access to currently practicing design professionals with backgrounds in fields ranging from architecture, environmental design, industrial design, interaction design, social design, design strategy, design research, cultural anthropology, psychology, industrial systems, organizational development, business and entrepreneurship. View all faculty profiles for the Product Design program.

You can also learn more about our faculty and work by visiting the product design department website.

Visit Department Website

Product Design is explored through contemporary techniques of design and fabrication, and the program is largely maker-studio based with an emphasis on haptic learning, collaboration and entrepreneurship. The two-year program culminates with a highly self-directed experience in which students are expected to conceptualize a product and write a critical academic master’s thesis. 

Sample Curriculum

Total Credits: 60
Duration: 2 years, full-time

To explore the full curriculum, click here.

Application Deadline: Applicants who submit the application form and all required supporting materials before Feb. 1, 2020, will be prioritized for scholarship funding opportunities from UArts. 

All scholarship notifications will be sent to accepted students by Feb. 20, 2020. Students may continue to apply on a rolling basis after the Feb. 1 priority deadline and will be considered for admission and scholarships on a space-available basis. 

Review Graduate Tuition, Financial Aid and Scholarship for more information.

The following materials are required for your application.

• A completed online application form 
   
• $60 application fee (nonrefundable; submitted with your application)
   
• $10 portfolio submission fee (submitted with your application)
   
• Official transcripts
  • Official transcripts from all the previous undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended are required. Transcripts should be issued directly by the registrar’s office at the college(s) you’ve attended and sent to the Office of Admissions, University of the Arts, 320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102 or via email to gradcredentials@uarts.edu.
     
  • For transcripts from outside the U.S., refer to the instructions for international students, provided below.
     
• Three letters of recommendation
  • Letters of recommendation may either be requested through the online application form or mailed to the Office of Admissions. At least two must come from professors or professionals in your field who are familiar with your capabilities and credentials. The third may be from a colleague, a collaborator or a peer.
     
• Statement of intent and résumé
  • Your statement of intent and your résumé are uploaded and submitted as part of your online application. Statements should be a minimum of one to two pages and detail your professional plans, interests and goals. Your résumé should highlight all your professional accomplishments, including employment, exhibitions, honors, internships and publications.
     
• Creative portfolio
  • A portfolio of professional work samples, submitted through the UArts Graduate SlideRoom Portal, is required for all applicants. Your portfolio should contain a minimum of three to five in-depth pieces that showcase self-generated projects, professional assignments or work developed in a previous program (i.e., drawings, graphic design, models, photographs, research, scenarios, videos, web design, writing and storytelling samples, etc.). There is a $10 fee to submit a portfolio in addition to the $60 application fee.
     
• Personal interview
  • After the application has been processed, each applicant is contacted for a personal interview, conducted by the program director. For applicants who cannot interview at the university, interviews can be held by phone or Skype.

International Applicants

In addition to the requirements listed above, international applicants or those with foreign credentials must submit the following information.

• Official transcripts
  • All transcripts from outside the U.S. must be official and in English. The Office of Admissions might request that international students obtain a transcript evaluation from a third-party credential evaluation service (such as World Education Services or Educational Credential Evaluators).
     
• Proof of English language proficiency
  • International students whose native language is not English must submit one of the following test results.
    • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 79
    • International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.0
    • Duolingo English test with a minimum score of 48

In lieu of those tests, completion of Level 9 in the University of the Arts ESL Institute will be accepted.

Applicants who meet the academic and creative requirements for admission but whose scores do not meet the English proficiency requirement for degree study might receive an offer of conditional admission, based on enrollment in University of the Arts’ English as a Second Language Institute (ESLI). Applicants who successfully complete Level 9 of ESL study in ESLI will then be able to begin their degree program studies.

Exceptions

• In special circumstances, applicants who have not taken the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English test may request a waiver of this requirement. The request should be submitted in writing and include the reason for opting out of the exams. Requests will then be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and might require an interview.
   
• A waiver may be considered for those applicants who enrolled full time in an accredited college or university in the U.S. and successfully completed two semesters of college-level English, not taken in conjunction with ESL study, and earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 in those classes.

I-20/F-1 International Student Visa Information 

Accepted students will be contacted by the University of the Arts International Student Programs Office, regarding visa counseling and the materials required to create an I-20, in order to obtain an F-1 visa. Contact Mara Flamm, director of International Student Programs, with any questions regarding your I-20 or F-1 visa.