The Master of Design is a program which provides students with knowledge of contemporary design; an understanding of the relationship design has to a sustainable society; to environmental and contextual issues; and the multi disciplinary nature of integrated design. The program develops the student’s ability to design contemporary outcomes across a range of disciplines within a collaborative environment.

The program is aimed at design professionals who wish to extend their knowledge of contemporary design or who wish to revitalize or redirect their design skills into a different area of specialisation, including discipline areas, digital technologies and processes.

The Master of Design is an integrated program that melds studio-based practices with rigorous critical analysis. The rationale of the program is to develop students’ skills and knowledge by promoting collaborative learning experiences between practitioners from different areas of design.

To reflect this approach, a practice-based Integrated Studio lies at the core of the Masters program. The Integrated Studio 1 and 2 courses and Integrated Studio Project brings together practitioners whose skills, experiences and knowledge reflect the multi-faceted nature of our discipline. Working individually or within small collaborative groups, students investigate and negotiate ideas through a range of models of collaboration to create studio outcomes informed by various discipline, processes and media.

The Integrated Studio sequence is paralleled by a corresponding sequence of Design Seminars in which the concepts, which inform the studios, are explored and interrogated through lectures, discussion, debate, and reflection. Seminars covers design’s relationship with a sustainable society; the role of perception and desire in designing; and the ethical and social issues designers are faced with in designing for a global society.

Underpinning the Integrated Studio and the Design Seminar series are Design Communication and Design Research. Design Communication promotes individual and collective methods of informing one’s clients, audience, end users and colleagues. Design Research presents evidence-based approaches to informing practitioners about the choices available for exploring future design practice.

All students undertake Design Electives giving knowledge and skills in specific design disciplines of Ceramics, Environment, Furniture and Lighting, Graphics Media, Jewellery, Textiles, Design Management and Digital Design. In the third Semester, students can undertake an open elective.

Students must complete a minimum of 72 units of credit (UOC) of postgraduate courses for the award of the Master of Design by coursework.

Design Electives

Students may choose Design Electives from the eight strands listed below. Design Electives are an opportunity for students to increase their knowledge and skill in an area or areas relevant to their interest in contemporary design. Design Electives can be taken from any strand, eg students are not required to take all Design Electives from the one strand. Students are advised to seek advice from the Program Coordinator or the Head of School.

Students can select Design Electives so that they develop knowledge and expertise in a specific area, eg if a student is interested in design of contemporary wearable’s they could select SDES 6711 Programming Wearable Projects, SDES 6751 Jewellery: Contemporary Wearables and SDES 6761 Textiles: Contemporary Wearables. These could be taken in any sequence and would meld student’s knowledge of contemporary design with relevant new technologies for wearable’s across textiles, jewellery and digital design for clothing, accessories and wearable objects.
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The degree of Master of Design by coursework may be awarded by the Council to a candidate who has satisfactorily completed a program of advanced study.

Qualifications
1. A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate degree of Bachelor from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution at a level acceptable to the Standing Committee of the College of Fine Arts [hereinafter referred to as the Committee].

2. In exceptional cases an applicant who submits evidence of such other academic and professional qualifications as may be approved by the Committee may be permitted to enrol for the degree.

3. If the Committee is not satisfied with the qualifications submitted by an applicant the Committee may require the applicant to undergo such assessment or carry out such work as the Committee may prescribe, before permitting enrolment.

Enrolment and Progression
1. An application to enrol as a candidate for the degree shall be made by the advertised closing date which will be at least two calendar months before the commencement of the session in which enrolment is to begin.

2. A candidate for the degree shall be required to undertake such formal courses and pass such assessment or conditions as prescribed.

3. The progress of a candidate shall be reviewed each session by the Committee and as a result of its review the Committee may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.

4. No candidate shall be awarded the degree until the lapse of three academic semesters from the date of enrolment in the case of a full-time candidate or six semesters in the case of a part-time candidate. The maximum period of candidature shall be six academic semesters from the date of enrolment for a full-time candidate and eight academic semesters for a part-time candidate.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html