斯威本科技大学

The Master of Design is designed for students from a range of design or related fields. The course emphasises a mix of interdisciplinary collaboration and provides a project-based, studio environment. Students enhance their expertise within a chosen design field, including visual communication design, industrial design, interior architecture and digital media design. They also broaden their skills and knowledge in design practice, 3D printing, interaction design, design management, computer-aided design and visualisation tools.

Students develop the professional capabilities and knowledge to become leaders in their field, as well as skills and strategies that enable them to be accomplished practitioners. They may also undertake study in related areas, including business innovation, marketing and media. Students have the option to participate in study tours and projects with Design Factory Melbourne.

The Master of Design is designed for students who have a deep interest in pursuing meaningful and useable design that compels, informs and delights. The course focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration and uses a dynamic, project-based, studio learning environment to expand professional capability. Students will be empowered to enhance existing expertise or extend their knowledge into new areas of interest across the broad field of design. The nexus between research and practice underpins the program as students develop research-led design solutions or explore design-led research. The Master of Design will equip students with knowledge to become strategic design leaders in their field.

In the Master of Design students undertake a Core stream which is research and practice-based, and one of two interdisciplinary industry-connected streams. The Applied Design stream focuses on design practice and entrepreneurship, and the Design Factory Melbourne stream focusses on design innovation and strategy. In the final year all students undertake a supervised research-informed and design practice-based Major Project which consolidates and integrates their learning from across the course into a substantial professional-quality design outcome.

Students are unable to enrol directly into the Graduate Diploma of Design but it is available as an exit award.

Career opportunities

Graduates will have industry level skills and basic research abilities enabling them to find employment in senior or strategic roles in design companies and other organisations as designers or in research roles. Entrepreneurial graduates may be able to start their own business ventures. Graduates will also have the ability to move into further study at PhD level.

Aims and objectives

The Master of Design enables mastery in design and enhances the skills, knowledge and capabilities for professional practice and management in a broad range of design fields.

Upon successful completion of the Master of Design, graduates will be able to:

1. demonstrate conceptual mastery and highly refined and detailed design outcomes and/or prototypes to professional standards

2. investigate and critically evaluate current practices and trends in design as they relate to social, cultural, economic and environmental contexts

3. conceptually and technically investigate, analyse, and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theory and apply them through independent research and project work

4. use research principles and methods and communication skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and outcomes to a professional standard

5. demonstrate critical thinking and evaluative judgement in planning, problem-solving and decision-making during design projects.