School of Human Ecology
Closeup of three, gray, felt pinwheel lamps in the Dorothy O'Brien Innovation Lab.

AcademicsGraduate Programs

Design Studies, MFA, PhD

The focus of the MFA degree is on creative performance in design. Its goals are to promote strong and creative conceptual thinking, exploration, interpretation, innovation, and overall excellence in design execution.

The PhD program is the highest degree in the field of design research and scholarship, and is grounded in the production of original and rigorous research. Graduates of the program have demonstrated their leadership in the field of design practice and education in the U.S. and internationally.

Students are mentored and guided by a graduate faculty comprised of interdisciplinary scholars, designers, scientists, and artists and are encouraged to collaborate with faculty from across campus, including Art, Art History, Computer Science, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and Folklore, as well as other departments in Human Ecology, such as Human Development and Family Studies, Consumer Science, Civil Society and Community Studies.

Visit the Graduate Program website

Department affiliation

Design Studies Faculty

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    Jennifer AngusProfessor of Design Studies | Kay Vaughan Faculty Fellow of Design + Innovation

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    Sarah Anne CarterChipstone Foundation Design and Material Culture Chair | Associate Professor of Design Studies | Executive Director of the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture

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    Marianne FairbanksAudrey Rothermel Bascom Professor of Design Studies | Kohl’s Center Innovation Faculty Fellow

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    Erin HamiltonAssistant Professor of Design Studies

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    Mary HarkProfessor of Design Studies

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    Esther KangAssistant Professor of Design Studies

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    Anika KozlowskiAssistant Professor of Design Studies | Kay Vaughan Faculty Fellow

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    Marina MoskowitzLynn and Gary Mecklenburg Chair in Textiles, Material Culture & Design | Professor of Design Studies

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    Kevin PontoAudrey Rothermel Bascom Professor | Professor of Design Studies

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    Uchita VaidAssistant Professor of Design Studies

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    Mengni ZhangAssistant Professor of Design Studies | Dean’s CDMC Design Research Faculty Fellow with the Center for Design and Material Culture

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    Yaoyi ZhouAssistant Professor of Design Studies | Dean’s Human-Centered Design Faculty Fellow

Design Studies Graduate Students

Design Studies News & Research