Design Science studies the world as we make it.
The emerging field of Design Science demands an innovative paradigm for research, education, and practice. The Design Science Program at the University of Michigan engages in the systematic pursuit of design knowledge across all fields.
Our program is a unique interdisciplinary approach requiring students to integrate two or more traditional disciplines to tackle modern, complex design problems. The U-M Design Science program challenges students to create, study, apply, and teach design principles using quantitative, qualitative, and analytical methods and processes.
Offering uncommon breadth in engineering, business, medicine, information, social sciences, and the arts, the program leverages a multitude of top-ten departments across schools and colleges at the University of Michigan.
The customizable program provides each student flexibility in exploring across multiple disciplines to learn in-depth rigorous design methods and theory that drive the design process. Each student defines a unique program of study tailored to his or her background and design interests in consultation with a program advisor. This path allows the integration of diverse disciplines from top tier graduate programs at the University of Michigan to balance rigorous coursework, trend-setting research and practice. Graduates take their place among the leaders who both contribute to and define the field of Design Science.
The programs of study empower students to identify and contribute to design questions about which they are passionate, such as individual, societal, marketplace, governmental, political, environmental, and technological concerns requiring design innovation.
In the Master’s degree program, students learn to study, apply, and create design principles using proven quantitative, qualitative, and analytical methods that contribute to the interdisciplinary design of complex products, devices, and systems.
In the PhD degree program, students are challenged to create novel design techniques and methods through rigorous scientific investigation.
Design Science alumni work in a wide range of industries and organizations, including large manufacturers, financial services companies, and tech startups. PhD graduates work in academia, industry and government research labs, or consulting roles.