Master of Design

The Major develops advanced capabilities in design thinking, research, strategic design and innovation across diverse spatial and experiential contexts. Students engage with physical, digital and hybrid environments while developing approaches to sustainability, emerging technologies, systems thinking and user-centred design. The curriculum encourages interdisciplinary inquiry and practice-based exploration, enabling students to investigate complex design challenges and develop solutions that connect people, environments, technologies and systems. Through collaborative projects, industry interaction and research-led practice, students strengthen their ability to work across diverse professional contexts as designers, researchers and strategists.

Department Electives provide opportunities to explore specialised and emerging areas within contemporary spatial and experiential design. Students engage with themes including sustainable design, strategic design, emerging technologies, digital and hybrid environments, experiential design and systems-oriented approaches. These electives extend the core curriculum by enabling students to investigate specific design challenges and emerging practices through research, experimentation and applied projects. The flexible nature of the electives supports interdisciplinary learning and allows students to develop capabilities relevant to evolving professional, technological, social and environmental contexts.

The Department of Design Space offers Interdisciplinary Minor pathways that enable students from other disciplines to engage with spatial, experiential and systemic approaches to design. The minors introduce students to interdisciplinary design thinking and provide opportunities to explore the relationships between people, environments, materials, technologies and systems. Through research, collaborative projects and practice-based learning, students develop the ability to understand and respond to complex design challenges beyond their primary discipline. Students enrolled in the M.Des. programme may, in turn, pursue Interdisciplinary Minors offered by other academic departments to broaden their learning beyond their primary discipline.

General Electives provide opportunities to explore areas of knowledge beyond the primary discipline, encouraging intellectual curiosity and interdisciplinary learning. Offered across a range of subjects, these courses broaden perspectives, strengthen critical thinking and support the development of transferable skills. By engaging with diverse academic, creative and societal contexts, students gain a well-rounded educational experience that complements their disciplinary knowledge and prepares them for the evolving demands of professional practice.