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Design MDes

Admission Requirements

  • Undergraduate degree or graduate diploma in design or equivalent in a relevant undergraduate degree program.
  • High academic standing, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a scale of 4.30.
  • Portfolio of creative work, writing samples, a letter of intent and a five-page preliminary research proposal.
  • Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.

Additional Admission Requirements

Applicants with non fine arts degrees must demonstrate technical and artistic/scholarly competence in their desired research area and must exhibit a strong foundation in design practices from an interdisciplinary perspective. Qualified applicants requiring prerequisite courses may be required to take such courses in addition to their regular graduate program.

The letter of intent should contain a well-articulated description of the potential research foci, indicating a relevant contribution to design or design scholarship. The accompanying preliminary research proposal should include well-formulated research questions, addressing the theoretical frameworks in which question will be addressed, potential outcomes, and a justification of the relevance of the topic. The proposal must also include an assessment of the feasibility of the proposed research over three consecutive semesters, demonstrating evidence of knowledge and skills relevant to the program and proposed area of concentration. Admission is contingent on the availability of an appropriate faculty member in the Department of Design and Computation Arts who agrees to serve as thesis supervisor. Applicants are encouraged to select a supervisor in advance, before admission. In special circumstances, the supervisor can be selected at the latest by the end of the first semester.

In addition to the proposal documentation, applicants must arrange for official transcripts from all previous post-secondary studies and three letters of reference (at least two from academic sources) to be sent. Following initial review of the application dossiers, selected candidates will be invited to interview with the Admissions Committee. Local residents are expected to appear in person while remote applicants will have the option to be interviewed through teleconferencing or video conferencing. It is incumbent upon remote applicants to make financial arrangements should they choose to attend the interview in person.

Degree Requirements

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.

Please see the Design Courses page for course descriptions.

Design MDes (45 credits)

15

credits of Core Courses

DART 600 Design Theory/Practice I (3.00)
DART 601 Research Methods in Design (3.00)
DART 610 Design Theory/Practice II (3.00)
DART 611 Interdisciplinary Practices in Design (3.00)
DART 620 Graduate Colloquium (3.00)

6credits of Elective Courses taken from the special topics courses offered by the Department
24

credits:

DART 690 Master’s Research and Thesis (24.00)

Additional Degree Requirements

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.70 or higher may apply for a Directed Study or Professional Internship.

Language Requirements. While there are no formal language requirements, students intending to work in Quebec are strongly encouraged to develop a working knowledge of French.

Academic Regulations

  1. Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
  2. Residence. The minimum required residency is three consecutive semesters of full-time study, or the equivalent in part-time study.
  3. Expected Time to Completion and Time Limit. It is expected that full-time students will complete all work for a master’s degree within 6 terms (2 years) from the time of initial registration in the program at Concordia University. For part-time students, the expected time to completion is 9 terms (3 years). Please refer to the Academic Regulations page for further details regarding the Time Limits.
  4. Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have obtained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70.

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