Doctor of Philosophy in Design Science

The Design Science PhD program leverages our novel integrative culture to produce unique leaders in design research, practice, and teaching. Design Science is an interdisciplinary doctoral program. Design Science students must pursue an appropriate course of study with the right mix of disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary breadth. Each student defines a custom program of study tailored to his or her background and interests in consultation with faculty advisors and the program committee. An individual student's curriculum is structured so that knowledge from at least two disciplines permeates their program of study. This is the guiding principle for the DESCI program requirements. This path integrates disciplines from top programs at the University of Michigan to balance rigorous coursework, trend-setting research and practica. Students are required to take a core set of classes that teaches them integrative design processes and research methods, and then deepen their knowledge in two or more disciplines by leveraging courses available across the university. Advised by two faculty in their respective fields, students integrate their disciplines through cutting-edge research to advance the field of design science in their dissertations.

There can be several degree paths that a student may follow applying for the doctoral program:

A student with an MS/MA/MFA degree may be directly admitted to the DESCI PhD program.
Alternatively, a student can apply to a separate discipline-based MS/MA/MFA program, and seek admission to the DESCI PhD program. After one semester of full time enrollment in the Master’s program, the student can apply for admission to the DESCI PhD program as a dual degree student.

Rackham English Proficiency Requirements:

IBT TOEFL - 84;

Paper/Pencil TOEFL and TWE - 560;

Revised Paper Delivered Test - An overall score is not provided for this test. Minimum section scores: Reading = 23; Listening = 23; Writing = 21;

MELAB - 80;

IELTS - 6.5;

ECPE - certificate of proficiency