Product Design (MDes)

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 master’s 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
With the exception of six general elective credits, all courses listed below are required.

View the full curriculum

To maintain academic good standing, graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Visit the university catalogue for more information on degree requirements.

Featured Faculty

Our faculty of practitioners gives you access to currently practicing design professionals with backgrounds in fields in 

• architecture; 
• business and entrepreneurship;
• cultural anthropology; 
• design strategy and research;
• environmental, industrial, interaction and social design;
• industrial systems;
• organizational development; and 
• psychology.

Featured Alumni

UArts Product Design alumni are inventors and innovators, makers and disruptors. 

The MDes Product Design program serves as a powerful launchpad for students and faculty working across industries, from healthcare and government to consulting for a range of consumer product and service companies. Other alumni go on to start their own businesses.

MDes Product Design Director Hsin-Chun Wang, and faculty members Andrew Dahlgren and Anthony Guido will help students to prepare for their careers through mentorship opportunities, including portfolio review and internship referrals. Students have found internships and post-graduation employment at design consultancy firms, studios and corporations.

Companies alumni have worked for around Philly include: Amuneal, Design Science, Knoll, Penn Acceleration Lab, Think Company, Uarts, etc.

Maker Resources: Hardware, Software & People

Founded on maker-movement principles, our student-run graduate studio is home to a full line of digital fabrication resources and is situated next to our more traditional industrial design wood and metal workshops. 

A laboratory for ideation and testing, our facilities are stocked with a suite of digital tools, currently including 

• 5-axis CNC routers, 
• high-resolution 3-D printers,
• a 3-D scanner, 
• a laser cutter, and
• solid and NURBS modeling CAD-CAM software tools.

An intensive studio experience is an essential part of our curriculum, in which students are expected to “fail forward” through hands-on scripting, programming, and building mockups and prototypes. The ultimate goal of the experience is to take concepts all the way from ideation, through ad-hoc engineering and into short-run productions as means of testing.

Center for Immersive Media 

UArts’ new Center for Immersive Media (CIM) is a 5,600-square-foot facility dedicated to exploring the fields of virtual and mixed reality, performance motion-capture, and human-computer interaction. The space includes

• optical motion capture system for full body performance capture and location-based VR applications;
• a four-channel audio system, multiple video projectors and lighting, as well as a control station; 
• 16-station computing classroom with PCs optimized for real-time graphics rendering; and 
• two large project rooms with ceiling grids for development of installations and virtual environments.

Learn more about CIM
 

All graduate applicants are considered for scholarships based on application materials, such as creative requirements and interviews, as well as prior academic and professional experience and achievements. Scholarships are competitive and vary in amount but make a considerable reduction in tuition cost. 

In order to be eligible for named and endowed scholarships, students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

Product Design Scholarships

Students eligible for the Gillespie Scholarship (founded by friends of Elizabeth Duane Gillespie) are nominated by Product Design faculty, with need determination by Student Financial Services. Approximately $1,500 is awarded annually from this fund to assist students with financial need—as determined by students’ FAFSAs—with their educational costs.

The Jane Darley Naeye Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship, is given to students nominated by faculty in Product Design and other programs related to interior design. Approximately $10,000 is awarded annually to multiple students.

Students eligible for the Richard J. Schneebeli Scholarship are nominated by Product Design faculty. Nominations are based on exceptional ability and demonstrated achievement in product design; approximately $400 is awarded annually.

Students eligible for the Fellowship award are nominated by Product Design faculty. Nominations are based on exceptional ability and demonstrated achievement in their second-year thesis project. Approximately $3,500 is awarded annually.

Financial Aid

If you need additional financial assistance, there are many options available. UArts offers four- and five-month payment plans for the fall and spring terms. You may also apply for additional loans in the form of federal Grad PLUS loans or private (also known as alternative) loans. You can find information about federal loans at studentaid.gov. 

For many students, graduate school is a significant financial investment. Our Student Financial Services team offers one-on-one appointments to discuss personal finance, budgeting and best practices in saving and building credit. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these resources. For more details and guidance in figuring out how to afford your education, visit uarts.edu/gradaid or contact Student Financial Services.

Learn more about program tuition and fees 
 

Application Deadline

Fall 2020: The University is currently reviewing applications to this program on a rolling basis. Students may continue to apply after the February 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 100

In lieu of those tests, completion of Level 9 in the University of the Arts' English as a Second Language Institute (ESLI) 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 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.