Master of Arts in Design

As a student in the Master of Arts in Design program, you’ll engage in collaborative learning experiences and research-driven course work to broaden your understanding of design and its impact on culture and community. This residency program for established design professionals merges its own unique course offerings with graduate seminars from the Master of Fine Arts program in a flexible curriculum framework that enables you to activate your specific interests and strengths while investigating transdisciplinary approaches to thinking, making, and learning.

Building upon advanced design research practice, the program encourages you to consider a wide array of artifacts and scholarly approaches by providing opportunities and resources that inspire critical dialogues and collaborative scholarship with students from KCAD’s other graduate programs.

In the Master of Arts in Design program, you’ll develop expertise in the application of historical, critical, and theoretical models and modes of praxis to a broad range of design projects. You’ll also become empowered to translate your understanding of design as a social and cultural force to situated practice within communities. Ultimately, you’ll emerge as a creative, innovative, intellectually curious, and responsible leader capable of inspiring ethical engagement and responding mindfully to the social implications of design practice.

The Master of Arts in Design leverages KCAD’s rich history of leadership in arts and design education and expertise in design thinking and human-centered design to help you take the next giant leap forward in your professional design career.

As a graduate of the Master of Arts in Design program, you’ll be prepared to meet the challenges pursuant to a successful career within the 21st century professional design world. You will leave the program poised to advance in your current position and in your career, and you’ll also be well positioned to pursue a doctoral degree.