C04429v1 Master of Design
Award(s): Master of Design in (name of Design major) (MDesign)CRICOS code: 105154J
Commonwealth supported place?: No
Load credit points: 72
Course EFTSL: 1.5
Location: City campus
Notes
This course is not offered for 2023 Spring intake.
Students who do not meet the admission requirements below may begin with the Graduate Certificate and progress to the Master of Design.
Graduate Certificate in Design --> Master of Design
Overview
Course aims
Career options
Course intended learning outcomes
Admission requirements
Inherent (essential) requirements
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course program
Exit award
Other information
Overview
UTS Master of Design meets the national and global need for graduates with skills in social and service design, transition design and design leadership. Unique in Australia, it has been created for those who want to conceive, deliver and manage high level service experiences and/or lead social, community and organisational change. It is a comprehensive and integrated program that has been developed in collaboration with industry leaders and researchers from UTS School of Design.
Students without a design qualification or background are encouraged to progress to the Masters via the Graduate Certificate in Design.
The Master of Design equips students from a range of professional backgrounds to understand and harness the power of design to shape social, community and organisational futures. Delivered by experienced studio leaders who are acknowledged leaders in their specific industries and professions, the Master of Design prepares students to tackle real-world projects through an intellectually rigorous, research-led and industry-engaged program. Students learn exciting new concepts and collaborative methodologies that deepen their understanding of social systems and people-based interactions, to enhance the ambition and impact of their work.
The Master of Design is enhanced by its association with the highly regarded research work of the UTS School of Design, including deep and long-term industry associations and partnerships that allow students to test and extend their skills in a practice setting. This program is for those seeking to expand their design skills by acquiring expertise in social and service design, or who want to become a design leader who can plan and steer change.
Course aims
Graduates of this course are leaders in design and related industries through their expertise in social and service design development and transition design. They are able to utilise strategic processes, creative tools and research skills for innovative, ambitious and socially just design solutions, both within traditional design settings and more broadly across organisations and communities.
The program provides entry points for those with an undergraduate degree in design, who study a core in design leadership and a major in either service design or design leadership, or those with an undergraduate degree in another field, who also study design practice fundamentals. Common subjects encompass basic and advanced design research methodologies, design prototyping, inclusive and co design, social innovation, and design translation and communication. Through these subjects, students learn how to apply new design approaches and mind-sets. In the Service Design major, students learn fundamental concepts and methods of service design and apply these in designing and implementing complex end-to-end services. In the Design Leadership major, students learn high level strategic design thinking and transition design. They become expert facilitators and navigators of change processes, exercising social sensitivity and cultural intelligence. Where applicable, prior learning is recognised.
Career options
Graduates' careers are enhanced by higher-level design knowledge and expertise, with specialised knowledge in social and service design or design leadership.
Course intended learning outcomes
| A.1 | Advocate for the power and responsibility of designing |
| A.2 | Co-create shared value propositions that benefit all stakeholders |
| A.3 | Discern consequences of designs (ecological, social and justice impacts) |
| C.1 | Communicate using a wide range of media and techniques |
| C.2 | Manage conflict in design teams |
| C.3 | Collaborate with Indigenous communities and leaders |
| I.1 | Design for and with, and enable designing by, diverse stakeholders |
| I.2 | Reframe design problems toward systems change with an eye for detail and quality |
| I.3 | Lead constructive and compassionate design critiques |
| P.1 | Lead studio-based design processes to advance the professional practice of design |
| P.2 | Lead a design team to co-create responsible innovations and sustainable systems of service |
| P.3 | Facilitate collective decision-making around design directions |
| R.1 | Generate valid insights using qualitative research methods |
| R.2 | Formulate novel yet significant design research questions |
| R.3 | Enable Indigenous-led research and design |
Admission requirements
Applicants must have completed a UTS recognised bachelor's degree, or an equivalent or higher qualification, or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate studies.
Applicants must have one of the following:
- a UTS Graduate Certificate in Design or equivalent; OR
- a UTS Graduate Certificate in Social and Service Design or equivalent; OR
- a UTS recognised bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in a design-related field with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 5.50 or above, along with:
- a digital portfolio of 10 x A4 landscape PDFs that display digital files, scans and/or photographs of original design work done by the applicant, including a brief appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses in each design. Portfolios must show that the final design outcomes are the product of a rich and sustained process of research, prototyping and refinement, from initial concepts, through different rough iterations, to more refined design outcomes. Portfolios are judged on the students' capacity to conceive and deliver original design outcomes through a rigorous and expansive approach to research-based design process; AND
- a 300-word statement addressing the applicant's reasons for undertaking postgraduate study in design at UTS, and the specific learning that they are seeking given their intended career direction on completion of the degree; AND
- a CV that clearly articulates the applicant's design or related experience.
- Applicants may be invited to attend an interview with course leaders to further elaborate on their application and discuss their interest in this course.
Students must refer to the inherent requirements for all degrees offered by Design and Architecture in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building.
The English proficiency requirement for international students or local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL: paper based: 550-583 overall with TWE of 4.5, internet based: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
International students
Visa requirement: To obtain a student visa to study in Australia, international students must enrol full time and on campus. Australian student visa regulations also require international students studying on student visas to complete the course within the standard full-time duration. Students can extend their courses only in exceptional circumstances.
Inherent (essential) requirements
Inherent (essential) requirements are academic and non-academic requirements that are essential to the successful completion of a course.
Prospective and current students should carefully read the Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement below and consider whether they might experience challenges in successfully completing this course. This Statement should be read in conjunction with the UTS Student Rules.
Prospective or current student concerned about their ability to meet these requirements should discuss their concerns with the Academic Liaison Officer in their faculty or school and/or UTS Accessibility Service on 9514 1177 or at accessibility@uts.edu.au.
UTS will make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional experiences, course related work experience and other course activities to facilitate maximum participation by students with disabilities, carer responsibilities, and religious or cultural obligations in their courses.
For course specific information see the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement.
Course duration and attendance
The course is offered on a one-and-a-half-year, full-time or three-year, part-time basis.
Course structure
Students must complete 72 credit points comprising 48 credit points of core subjects and 24 credit points of selected major.
Course completion requirements
| STM91549 Design Practice Fundamentals | 24cp | |
| STM91550 Expanded Design Fundamentals | 24cp | |
| CBK91984 Major Choice | 24cp | |
| Total | 72cp |
Course program
An example full-time program is shown below, for students commencing in Autumn session.
| Service Design major, Autumn commencing, full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 89200 Design Communication | 6cp | |
| 89109 Design Prototyping | 6cp | |
| 85801 Interactions, Experiences and Atmospheres | 6cp | |
| 89106 Design Research Methods | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 81533 Service Design Foundations | 6cp | |
| 89105 Service Design: Advanced Research | 6cp | |
| 81534 Problem Framing | 6cp | |
| 89027 Design and Business | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 89110 Higher Orders of Design | 6cp | |
| 89173 Organisational Design | 6cp | |
| 89107 Service Design: Communication | 6cp | |
| 85808 Service Design: Implementation | 6cp | |
| Design Leadership major, Autumn commencing, full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 89200 Design Communication | 6cp | |
| 89109 Design Prototyping | 6cp | |
| 85801 Interactions, Experiences and Atmospheres | 6cp | |
| 89106 Design Research Methods | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 89108 Transition Design Foundations | 6cp | |
| 89026 Transition Design Studio | 6cp | |
| 81534 Problem Framing | 6cp | |
| 89027 Design and Business | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 89172 Designing Systems | 6cp | |
| 89021 Futuring and Backcasting | 6cp | |
| 89110 Higher Orders of Design | 6cp | |
| 89173 Organisational Design | 6cp | |
| Service Design major, Spring commencing, full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Spring session | ||
| 89200 Design Communication | 6cp | |
| 89109 Design Prototyping | 6cp | |
| 85801 Interactions, Experiences and Atmospheres | 6cp | |
| 89106 Design Research Methods | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 89107 Service Design: Communication | 6cp | |
| 85808 Service Design: Implementation | 6cp | |
| 81534 Problem Framing | 6cp | |
| 89027 Design and Business | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 81533 Service Design Foundations | 6cp | |
| 89105 Service Design: Advanced Research | 6cp | |
| 89110 Higher Orders of Design | 6cp | |
| 89173 Organisational Design | 6cp | |
| Design Leadership major, Spring commencing, full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Spring session | ||
| 89200 Design Communication | 6cp | |
| 89109 Design Prototyping | 6cp | |
| 85801 Interactions, Experiences and Atmospheres | 6cp | |
| 89106 Design Research Methods | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 89172 Designing Systems | 6cp | |
| 89021 Futuring and Backcasting | 6cp | |
| 81534 Problem Framing | 6cp | |
| 89027 Design and Business | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 89108 Transition Design Foundations | 6cp | |
| 89026 Transition Design Studio | 6cp | |
| 89110 Higher Orders of Design | 6cp | |
| 89173 Organisational Design | 6cp | |
Exit award
Students can exit this course with a Graduate Diploma in Design (C07119) after completing 48 credit points of specified subjects, or with a Graduate Certificate in Design (C11225) after completing 24 credit points of specified subjects.
Other information
Further information is available from the UTS Student Centre on:
telephone 1300 ask UTS (1300 275 887)
or +61 2 9514 1222
Ask UTS
UTS: Design, Architecture and Building