Academic Programs

In addition to the community gallery, Design on Main houses three College of Design graduate programs.

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Graphic Design is recognized as the terminal degree in the field and requires a minimum of 64-credits. MFA graduates in Graphic Design are skilled in communication design and problem solving and are adept in the use of visual language, symbology and interaction. Graduates are proficient in the design of communications and the use of technologies that incorporate human interaction with environments, objects, and electronic and traditional publications. Students and faculty work collaboratively on a required thesis; integrating theory, creation, research and design problem solving.

The Master of Design in Sustainable Environments (MDesSE) is an advanced interdisciplinary degree that focuses on holistic design strategies for the production of sustainable, resilient environments and artifacts. MDesSE students and faculty constitute a highly interactive multi-disciplinary community that is deeply engaged in understanding, promoting and conceiving sustainable practices in design, planning and artistic production. Students engage in faculty-led research projects and are challenged to develop individual sustainable design strategies for issues of current relevance that conserve resources, ameliorate ecological problems and promote social, political and economic justice.

The Master of Urban Design (MUD) is an advanced, interdisciplinary program of study that focuses on contemporary challenges of urbanism at the local, regional and global scales. Courses are taught by faculty from architecture, community and regional planning and landscape architecture, with an understanding that urban environments should be engaged through an integrated design process that includes ecological, social, material, economic and urban-policy factors.