Student Research
School of Design programs combine disciplinary engagement and critical thinking within the framework of an urban public research university to actively engage with design as a professional pursuit and a cultural force.
Through exposure to design practice, exhibition and critical observation, students experience Chicago as a global design center. In many instances, ideas that begin in UIC Design classrooms extend beyond the walls of the university to bring about positive change for real world concerns.
Balancing two educational directives—to develop professional practice at formal and experimental levels and to stimulate intellectual inquiry into the values and responsibilities of a professional designer—the UIC Master of Design (MDes) embraces design process as a synthesis of making and thinking—across objects, communications, and services—as a catalyst for the development of the designer, and within it, the future of design. MDes students undertake self-initiated studio-driven research projects and engage in critical discourse through research, theory, and history. UIC Design graduate programs prepare students for leadership roles in design research, education, or practice and to make substantive contributions that advance the profession and improve our world.
Our traditional and foundational design disciplines, which might be grouped primarily by physical dimension, 2D (Graphic Design) and 3D (Industrial Design), now exist within a transforming professional landscape where creative professionals with expertise in design research methods; proficiency in creative coding and dynamic media design; interest in improved interactions between people, environments, and digital interfaces; and the ability to critique material and social conditions are in great demand.