Design (M.Des.)

Admission Requirements. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree or a graduate diploma in Design or equivalent in a relevant undergraduate degree program, with very high standing. 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. Admission to the program is competitive and applicants with high academic standing will be considered. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a scale of 4.30.

Students interested in applying to the program should submit a portfolio of creative work, writing samples, statement of purpose, and a five-page preliminary research proposal. The statement of purpose 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 invited to suggest a potential supervisor who best suits their research interests in their Statement of Purpose by reviewing the Full-Time Faculty profile webpage.

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.

Qualified applicants lacking prerequisites or competencies may be required to complete additional undergraduate credits (or the equivalent, to be approved by the Admissions Committee) in addition to the regular graduate program requirements.

Applicants whose first language is other than English must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by writing one of the approved language tests. The provisional minimum acceptance score for the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) for admission into a graduate program for international students whose first language is not English or French is 90. (Concordia will accept test results for the paper-based TOEFL if they are less than 2 years old). The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) requires a minimum Band score of 6.5. Applicants can sign up for the IELTS test at the Concordia University Language Test Centre.

Application process

For application instructions, including directions for your statement of purpose and what to include in your portfolio, please visit our how to apply section.

Courses

DART 600 Design Theory/Practice I (3 credits)
This seminar develops a framework of practice-based and theoretical approaches that build the foundation of contemporary critical design practice and study. Drawing on examples and readings from a range of disciplines, students will explore design as a product, a practice, and a mode of social communication and investigate the cultural and discursive context in which design resides. The course will integrate the three program streams, namely visual communication, the built environment, and interaction design, and address the theme of sustainability as a timely concern for design practice.

DART 601 Research Methods in Design (3 credits)
This course introduces students to a range of methodologies and strategies used to conduct research in design. Students will be exposed to the relationship that exists between research as a practice-based activity and research as theory-based inquiry and will have the opportunity to engage in the research process through studio work, writing, and presentations.

DART 610 Design Theory/Practice II (3 credits)
Prerequisite: DART 600 and DART 601.
Through a combination of studio work, seminar discussions, workshops, and individual writings, students situate their work in different contexts, such as commercial, public, or domestic environments, and explore new venues for dissemination. Such investigations enhance students’ ability to contextualize, articulate, and exhibit the thesis work.

DART 611 Interdisciplinary Practices in Design (3 credits)
Prerequisite: DART 600 and DART 601.
This seminar examines the question of how knowledge is produced and transferred through interdisciplinary design and scholarly practices. Topics include socio-cultural, environmental and economic sustainability, participatory design, collaborative methods, communities of practice, epistemic cultures, embodiment, and knowledge production. Readings will be drawn from a broad range of disciplines.

DART 620 Graduate Colloquium (3 credits)
Prerequisite: DART 610 and DART 611.
The Graduate Colloquium will foster a community of practice and research by exposing the students to a diversity of work and methods and developing understanding of disciplinary commonalities and differences. Through this colloquium series, presentations by students will be augmented with presentations by faculty, visiting researchers, and practicing designers.

DART 630 Special Topics in Sustainability (3 credits)
Topics may address a range of critical perspectives related to sustainability in terms of the environmental triad of ecological, socio-cultural and economic foci. Sustainable practice can refer to specific technical or scientific fields but also has a broader connotation towards integrative and enduring practices.

DART 631 Special Topics in Visual Communication (3 credits)
Topics may address a range of critical perspectives related to the use of signs, icons, and visual symbols to convey ideas and communicate information. This includes graphic design, typography, illustration, and photography, as well as applications in information design, wayfinding, advertising, packaging, and electronic media.

DART 632 Special Topics in the Built Environment (3 credits)
Topics may address a range of critical perspectives related to the structures, landscapes and spaces, both physical and virtual, in relation to the actions and activities that take place in them over time. This can include large-scale city planning, the design and conceptualization of living and workspaces, and the scale of object that are embedded in those spaces.

DART 633 Special Topics in Interaction Design (3 credits)
Topics may address a range of critical perspectives related to the behaviour of an object or system in relation to its users or participants. Interaction design refers to design practices that embed electronics and computing capabilities into objects, materials, and devices, and it also describes the ways in which systems and processes produce form and structure over time.

DART 690 Master’s Research and Thesis (24 credits)
Prerequisite: DART 610 and DART 611.
The Master’s Research and Thesis will combine a body of work or practice-led research with a written thesis document of 35-40 pages that contextualizes the practice historically and theoretically and reflects critically on the process and production. A formal oral defense and a final public exhibition of the work or practice-led research are required.

In the Master of Design program, students will be benefitting from the expertise of internationally renowned faculty in a stimulating environment. They will develop professional skills in design to prepare them for a broad range of career prospects in both profit and not for profit organizations, academia, research centres, and design/creative industries. The MDes program values the importance of critical inquiry and privileges intellectual exchange. Weekly meetings supervised by faculty constitute an important forum, where students can add depth and complexity to their ideas, in the formulation of their individual projects. Students have the opportunity, on a regular basis, to present their studio work at reviews attended by fellow students, faculty members, and invited critics. Committee members provide a focused response to this work and prepare students for their concluding research-creation project and exhibition.

Examples of potential topics and projects for the MDes include:

• developing strategies for sustainable design
• cultural and gender issues in design
• service design
• integrating cultural dimensions in information design
• improving health through design
• issues of legibility in graphic design
• public space design
• inclusive design
• universal design
• the built environment of the home
• renewable energy and design
• design and creativity
• design and food studies
• learning in augmented environments
• new forms of interaction for game design
• affective player experience and game design

Read our faculty member's profiles to do discover their research interests.