The MFA in Design is a two-year program that encourages an interdisciplinary approach through research and practice that align with social and environment responsibilities. We offer graduate students a unique opportunity to work with a dedicated and renowned design faculty within one of the nation’s top public research universities. And we do our best to fully fund our graduate students through Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) positions. Students work with outstanding faculty within the Design Department and the greater university. Design faculty expertise includes design theory, exhibition, fashion, history, information, interactivity, interior architecture, immersion, lighting, product, textiles, time-base, visual communication, wearables, and more. Students are encouraged to build connections across campus by working with faculty from the arts and humanities, to social sciences and politics; from biological sciences and agriculture, to the professional schools of medicine, law and veterinary.Visual communication design focuses on the relationship between form, content, and context. Critical making and critical thinking skills are emphasized in the research and creation of artifacts, environments, interactions, and experiences in print, screen, time-based, and three-dimensional media. Interdisciplinary studies in psychology, anthropology, cognition, history of media, rhetoric, computer science, intercultural communication, and other areas can be undertaken to inform the design research and development process.
