Click here for Master of Design Application procedures.
The Master of Design consists of 42 credits taken over a period of three semesters or one calendar year. Students present their final design research project at the end of the third semester of study.
Students do 15 credits of coursework. In addition, students will begin the preliminary research for their final project.
• MDES 6200 Graduate Design Studio (6 credits)
• MDES 6030 Graduate Design Intensive (9 credits)
Students are also expected to present publicly the work done on their Final Project.
Students complete 12 credits of coursework.
• MDES 6600 Graduate Studio 2 (6 credits)
• MDES 6110 Graduate Design Workshop: Topic (3 credits)
• MDES 6112 Design Research Proposal (3 credits)
All students in the MDES program submit and present a Final Project. The written component of the Final Project does not normally exceed 50 pages. The term “Final Project” is used to emphasize that the student’s research and theoretcial work are grounded in and concomitant to design practice, and that design thinking may manifest itself in visual, synthetic forms of expression.
Therefore the Final Project is an amalgam of the outputs of practice and the written word.
Students present their Final Project proposals towards the end of the second semster. Using visuals in PDF-format, students outline the theoretical and practice-based underpinnings of the Final Project. A committee comprising the Director of the program and at least two other Design faculty members will review the proposal.
If the proposal is deemed to be insufficient, students may be allowed to revise their proposals before the end of the semester in which the proposal is made.
• MDES 6800 Graduate Studio 3 (6 credits)
• MDES 6900 Graduate Design Thesis Exhibition / Review (9 credits)
Students’ Final Projects are completed under the aegis of MDES 6900. They are submitted before the end of the semester for review by a committee comprising the Director of the Program and at least two other Design faculty members.
If the Committee accepts a student’s final project, then the student must finalize the project, e.g. bind the written component and other documentation, etc. (Details can be found in the Master of Design Handbook), and submit it to the University. The degree will not be granted until this obligation is met.
If a student is unable to complete the Project by the deadline, he/she must apply in writing to the Director of the Master of Design program for permission to defer submission to the first half of the Summer Semester. Deadline for this application is April 15.
The Final Project Committee may agree to allow a student to re-submit his/her Final Project if it is found unsatisfactory. Resubmission will be an agreed-upon date not later than 6 months after the date of submission. Students who do not make a final submission by the deadline will be considered withdrawn from the program without credit (unless special circumstances are involved).
The student submits four bound copies, in an agreed upon format, of the Final Project to the Graduate Studies Administrative Assistant to be distributed as follows: one to the NSCAD University Library; one to the Design Division collection; one for the review committee. The fourth copy is returned to the student. When this final requirement is complete, the Director of the MDES Program will notify the Registrar by memo of the student’s program completion. The original signed review form will be sent to the Registrar’s Office with this memo. A student may not graduate until the Final Project has been accepted.
MDes Graduate courses are graded on a Pass/Fail (P/F) system. The minimum evaluation to earn a P (Pass) is equivalent to a “B” grade. Undergraduate courses taken for graduate credit are graded using the NSCAD letter-grade system, and MDes students must earn a minimum of a B grade in all undergraduate courses in which they register.
Students’ performance will be monitored very closely throughout the Program. Should an MDES student’s work become unsatisfactory (including insufficient progress), or if a student’s attendance is irregular without sufficient reason, the Faculty and Director of the MDES Program may require the student to withdraw from one or more classes, or recommend academic dismissal from the Program.
FEES & TUITION
MDes Fees
For information on MDes fees please refer to tuition fee information given on the NSCAD website at www.nscad.ca or at the Office of Financial Services.
MDES Activation and Time to Completion
An MDes student who does not complete her/his program degree requirements in the 12 month residency period must apply for an extension. If an extension is granted, an activation fee will be charged for each Fall and/or Winter semester until the student finishes her/his degree.
Student Loans
MDes students should consult their respective provincial student aid office or guaranteed student loan program (US) concerning the financial assistance available to them through student loan channels.
MASTER OF DESIGN ADMISSION
Application Deadline
Master of Design December 1
Only complete applications received post-marked by the above deadlines will be considered for admission.
Click here for Master of Design application procedures.