Design

Become an expert in your design field!

Established in 2016-17, the goal of the Doctor of Design (DDes) at NC State University is to create new knowledge and promote its application in the professional design community and society at large.

The program is open to established practitioners who wish to develop high-level, transformative expertise in applied design and innovation. The purpose of the program is to pursue design research in support of those professions creating the artifacts, communications, environments, organizing structures and systems of the future.

The structure of the DDes program allows design professionals to complete the degree program through distance education. However, mandatory physical attendance at a week-long workshop each semester is required for all DDes students.

The program comprises a 57-credit, six-semester learning sequence tailored for the pursuit of original design-based investigations. At the time of admission, DDes students are expected to demonstrate mastery over their respective practices and to articulate a clear, compelling topic along with specific research questions.

DDes students conduct original investigations and advance new knowledge specifically through design-based practices, cases and methods. These investigations may be grounded in a single design field or, alternatively, may cross boundaries and translate principles from other relevant disciplines. The program thus provides a forum for connecting design research to the needs of society, by creating new knowledge, promoting its applications by the professional design community, and addressing design impacts on larger systems.

Students work closely with an individual mentor and are guided by supporting committee members with varied expertise.

Similar to the PhD in Design program, the DDes program introduces research design and its methods in their first year; students then delve deeply into independent inquiry. Early in the second year, students craft a detailed design research proposal and prepare for the preliminary exam. The third and final year is dedicated to original investigation towards the final dissertation or equivalent alternative product in design research.

Eligibility

Application checklist:

• Undergraduate and graduate degree transcripts (min 3.0 GPA)
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
• TOEFL or IELTS (exceed min. NCSU Grad School standards)
• Curriculum vitae (C.V.)
• Statement of purpose, topic/focus, and description of proposed research questions
• Digital portfolio of creative work and/or professional practice activities
• Three (3) letters of recommendation (at least one from applicant’s current employer)

The Doctor of Design degree focuses on applied design research relevant to professional practice in design. We seek applicants who are self-directed, focused, and resilient—capable of independent inquiry and critical thinking. Successful applicants will have a track record showing a high level of achievement:

• Successful applicants hold a master’s degree from an accredited design, fine arts, or equivalent program. Applicants are expected to demonstrate mastery over their respective practices in the submission of a digital portfolio. The portfolio should highlight relevant professional experience and/or current accomplishments in a design firm or studio, public or private museum, or governmental agency involved in design/planning.
• A short statement of purpose for graduate study (not to exceed 400 words or 1-2 pages overall) will convince the reader that the applicant is motivated and prepared.
• Successful applicants possess the capacity to articulate a clear topic with specific research questions. Applicants submit an abstract proposal for a clear and compelling research topic (statement not to exceed 750 words or 2-3 typeset pages overall).

Applicants submit transcripts of previous academic work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (undergraduate and graduate studies) along with standardized graduate test scores such as the GRE (Graduate Record Exam); and international students further provide TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Plan of Study

The Doctor of Design (DDes) program comprises a 57-credit, six-semester learning sequence tailored for the pursuit of original design-based investigations. Other requirements include the preliminary comprehensive exam (comps), the final exam (defense), and a final research product (dissertation).

Envisioned as a three-year academic program, under certain circumstances the DDes program may be condensed or extended to accommodate individual student needs. The plan of study must be arranged in advance and agreed to by all members of the student’s steering committee. NC State policies stipulate that doctoral candidacy must be attained within six years and all degree requirements completed within ten years.

The structure of the DDes program allows design professionals to complete the degree program through distance education. However, mandatory physical attendance at a week-long workshop each semester is required for all DDes students.

Career Prospects

The Doctor of Design is a unique program in that it serves a wide variety of design careers, each of which is individualistic and highly customized to meet the needs of the student. The doctorate program provides an opportunity to establish design professionals in an academic environment, testing and proving innovative design ideas. The resulting authority in the design world provides a worthy springboard from which graduates advance their careers.