Design Methods (M.D.M.)
IIT Institute of Design’s Master of Design program is for experienced professionals, both designers and non-designers, who need twenty-first century innovation skills to take their careers to the next level.
IIT Institute of Design’s Master of Design Methods program is for experienced professionals, both designers and non-designers, who need twenty-first century innovation skills to take their careers to the next level. Often students consider M.D.M. as a creative alternative to an M.B.A. Our popular part-time option allows students to take what they learn one evening in class to work the next day.
IIT Institute of Design (ID) is known for its pioneering, human-centered approach to design. Thus, our human-centered design sequence is the cornerstone, and only requirement of, our M.D.M. program. For their remaining courses, students are encouraged to customize their own paths at ID, mixing and matching according to their professional goals and interests, and integrating other disciplines and domains into their studies.
To focus their studies, students choose from two of five concentrations: Service and Systems Innovation, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Business Management and Leadership, Social Systems, and Data and Design.
Program Overview
IIT Institute of Design’s Master of Design Methods program is for experienced professionals, both designers and non-designers, who need twenty-first century innovation skills to take their careers to the next level. Often students consider M.D.M. as a creative alternative to an M.B.A.
Career Opportunities
Employers come to campus in the fall and spring for recruitID, when students can interview for internship and career opportunities. Through regular careerID programming, students receive ongoing support and guidance on the hiring process and in planning their professional paths.
ID alumni are leaders across the private and public sectors, serving at the director and executive level in roles like:
- UX designer
- Innovation consultant
- Design strategist
- Design researcher
- Educator
- Entrepreneur
- Interaction designer
- Product designer
- Service designer
Most courses are seminar-based, with hands-on exercises regarding real-world challenges. Some courses are run as workshops with a focus on applying theory to resolve larger, more complex problems. The M.D.M. program consists of 30 credits. It requires two semesters in the sabbatical (full-time) format or four to five semesters in the professional (part-time) format where courses are typically taken in the evenings.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and are required to submit transcript(s), full mark sheets, and degree/diploma certificates from each institution attended, regardless of whether or not a degree was earned, as well as three letters of recommendation, a portfolio, statement of interest, and a resume or curriculum vitae. At least five years of professional experience is required. ID considers full-time internships, volunteer work, and freelance projects as formal work experience. TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for any applicant with an undergraduate degree from an institution where the primary language of instruction is not English. We do not require a GRE or GMAT score for any application. However, if you have a score you would like to submit we are happy to include that in your application evaluation. We will accept either the GRE or the GMAT.
Featured Faculty
Tom MacTavish
Jeremy Alexis
