First Year | Fall
Design Shared Courses Transportation Design
Design Graduate Studio I
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Design Graduate Studio I

The design projects assigned in Design Graduate Studio I, II, and III share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by the Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.

Contextual Design Research I
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Contextual Design Research I

Contextual Design Research I and II introduce the methods, tools, and techniques of research that are relevant to designing with people in mind for product, experience, space, or service. The methods and tools fall in the categories of “what people say,” “what people do,” and “what people need.” Contextual Design Research I and II will be primarily lecture-based, but will also include a variety of hands-on learning activities that are applicable at all points along the design process. This course is structured around the graduate studio projects. Open to graduate students only.

Transportation Graduate Studio I
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Transportation Graduate Studio I

The design projects assigned in Transportation Graduate Studio I-IV share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by their Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.
Interaction Design I
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Interaction Design I

Interaction Design I and II introduce the fundamental concepts, methods, and practices of interaction design and investigate the intersection of content, interface, and experience in the context of business solutions. Students work in teams to identify market opportunities and define consumer or user behavior patterns that can be translated into a successful framework. The classes focus on technological, behavioral, and theoretical underpinnings of interaction design; the importance of market analysis, research, testing, and the use of storytelling techniques. Both courses are offered in a studio format. Students participate in group discussions, critiques, and presentations. Open to graduate students only.

Graduate Seminar I
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Graduate Seminar I

“Foundations of Global Thinking”

This seminar provides a foundation for thinking about economic, political, cultural, and aesthetic issues in a global context, especially as they might inform individual design practice, i.e., the student’s local action. The seminar begins by examining the process of exchange and in particular the way humans interact with one another through market transactions. Students then examine various ways of understanding globalization as an economic and cultural system. Subsequent classes focus on the mechanisms of the global market and the increasingly important role design has come to play. Of particular concern are the aesthetic and informational values built into production and consumption practices. This further entails consideration of questions of sustainability and ethics. Provisions are made to accommodate the exploration of individual and group interests as the semester progresses.

 Digital Viscom I: The Digital Narrative
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Digital Viscom I: The Digital Narrative

This course focuses on the process and creation of multi-faceted, multimedia narratives to express complex concepts, ideas, and designs to the full spectrum of audiences. It will cover:

  • the philosophy and practice of digital communication
  • narrative development through effective storytelling
  • digital creation toolkit
  • workflow creation, implementation, timing, and process
  • overview and exploration of the impact of social networks
Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

  Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

First Year | Spring
Design Shared Courses Transportation Design
Design Graduate Studio II
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Design Graduate Studio II

The design projects assigned in Design Graduate Studio I, II, and III share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by the Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.

Contextual Design Research II
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Contextual Design Research II

Contextual Design Research I & II are courses that provide students the knowledge and tools necessary to conduct thorough and effective research to inform their design work. Additionally the course aims to provide students a context within which to critically appraise their own design work and the design work of others. Design Research Methods will introduce students to both quantitative and qualitative research methods, with the emphasis being on ethnographic, observational processes applied to design and new product development. The relevance of methods such as secondary, observational techniques and experiential methodologies will be investigated through case-study analysis and hands-on, team-based field research assignments. Research methods applied to branding strategies will also be covered.

Creative problem-solving techniques including associative, clustering, grouping, hierarchal, comparison, detailed breakdowns, cause and effect, and system relations will also be included in the course. Open to graduate students only.

Transportation Graduate Studio II
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Transportation Graduate Studio II

The design projects assigned in Transportation Graduate Studio I-IV share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by their Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.

Interaction Design II
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Interaction Design II

In this course, students apply the fundamental principles, methods and processes of interaction design in the context of achieving business solutions. Students develop skill sets in information architecture, usability and branding, and will learn to use social media to solve business objectives. Projects will cover a variety of real world scenarios that will require strategic and creative problem-solving to accomplish goals within limited time frames. A variety of important techniques and methodologies will be practiced. Students will participate in group discussions, critiques and presentations.

Business Practice I
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Business Practice I

This course is designed around a framework that organizes and relates marketing topics into succinct modules. Using the new textbook, Marketing: The Big Picture by Christie Nordhielm, students will be required to apply the Big Picture framework to a live “mini” case that they choose and write themselves using a carefully designed template. Students will then take a leadership role in managing the discussion of these mini-cases. In this way, the class will maximize their relevance to current business practices and also acquaint the students with the ‘business case’ format.

 Digital Viscom II
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Digital Viscom II

Digital Viscom I & II is a sequence of courses designed to ensure that all students have the requisite high-quality sketching—ideation and presentation skills—required by the auto industry. Digital Viscom I will revisit traditional sketching fundamentals and will move into 2-D digital sketching programs using the Wacom tablet interface. Digital Viscom II will focus on 3-D Alias modeling. Open to graduate students only.

Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

  Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

Second Year | Fall
Design Shared Courses Transportation Design
Design Graduate Studio III
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Design Graduate Studio III

The design projects assigned in Design Graduate Studio I, II, and III share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by the Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.

 

 Business Practice II
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Business Practice II

Business Practices II and III teach business issues and the vocabulary of business related to product development management in a global context. In addition to management matters specific to corporate settings, entrepreneurship and the operation of consulting offices will also be covered. Written assignments include business plans and proposal writing. Development of verbal presentation skills is also a feature of this course sequence. Open to graduate students only.

Transportation Graduate Studio III
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Transportation Graduate Studio III

The design projects assigned in Transportation Graduate Studio I-IV share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by their Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.

Graduate Thesis I
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Graduate Thesis I

Graduate Thesis I & II are studio courses where each student will be required to create a body of work that is the culmination of his/her graduate study experience. The thesis requirements include a critical paper in support of the project's outcomes—a paper that articulates the research component of the project and provides narrative that describes the project outcome into a social, economic and business context.

Students will be encouraged to seek industry sponsorship for their thesis projects with the assistance of the Director of the School of Graduate Studies and other corporate relation functionaries at the College.

Graduate Thesis II includes a forma writing tutorial where students will be given instruction in thesis writing and one-on-one help with their thesis paper. Open to graduate students only.

Graduate Seminar II
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Graduate Seminar II:

"Thinking Globally, Acting Locally"

Graduate Seminar II brings together the full cohort of CCS graduate students where they are exposed to key contemporary issues influencing the design professional. Students will attend lectures and workshops with visiting artists, designers, as well as related industry and academic leaders. The Graduate Seminar serves to advance both the investigative and critical writing skills of students. Social context, sustainability, and ethics will be some of the themes addressed, possibly structured within a colloquial format. This Seminar requires extensive reading, research, and short, fast-paced assignments set in the various workshops. Students participate in individual and group presentations in the Seminar. Open to graduate students only.

 

 Transportation Graduate Thesis I
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Transportation Graduate Thesis I

Graduate Thesis I & II are studio courses where each student will be required to create a body of work that is the culmination of his/her graduate study experience. The thesis requirements include a critical paper in support of the project's outcomes—a paper that articulates the research component of the project and provides narrative that describes the project outcome into a social, economic and business context.

Students will be encouraged to seek industry sponsorship for their thesis projects with the assistance of the Director of the School of Graduate Studies and other corporate relation functionaries at the College.

Graduate Thesis II includes a forma writing tutorial where students will be given instruction in thesis writing and one-on-one help with their thesis paper. Open to graduate students only.

Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

  Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

Second Year | Spring
Design Shared Courses Transportation Design
Graduate Thesis II
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Graduate Thesis II

Graduate Thesis I & II are studio courses where each student will be required to create a body of work that is the culmination of his/her graduate study experience. The thesis requirements include a critical paper in support of the project's outcomes—a paper that articulates the research component of the project and provides narrative that describes the project outcome into a social, economic and business context.

Students will be encouraged to seek industry sponsorship for their thesis projects with the assistance of the Director of the School of Graduate Studies and other corporate relation functionaries at the College.

Graduate Thesis II includes a forma writing tutorial where students will be given instruction in thesis writing and one-on-one help with their thesis paper. Open to graduate students only.

Business Practices III
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Business Practices III

Business Practices II and III teach business issues and the vocabulary of business related to product development management in a global context. In addition to management matters specific to corporate settings, entrepreneurship and the operation of consulting offices will also be covered. Written assignments include business plans and proposal writing. Development of verbal presentation skills is also a feature of this course sequence. Open to graduate students only.

Transportation Graduate Thesis II
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Transportation Graduate Thesis II

Graduate Thesis I & II are studio courses where each student will be required to create a body of work that is the culmination of his/her graduate study experience. The thesis requirements include a critical paper in support of the project's outcomes—a paper that articulates the research component of the project and provides narrative that describes the project outcome into a social, economic and business context.

Students will be encouraged to seek industry sponsorship for their thesis projects with the assistance of the Director of the School of Graduate Studies and other corporate relation functionaries at the College.

Graduate Thesis II includes a forma writing tutorial where students will be given instruction in thesis writing and one-on-one help with their thesis paper. Open to graduate students only.

Communication and Presentation
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Communication and Presentation

 

 Community Project
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Community Project

 

 Transportation Graduate Studio IV
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Transportation Graduate Studio IV

The design projects assigned in Transportation Graduate Studio I-IV share the same structure, but differ in their complexity and duration. Students are assigned formally structured design projects, requiring a substantive research phase (augmented by their Contextual Design Research class), a prototype or concept synthesis development phase, followed by a concept/design refinement phase, and finishing with design presentation and reflection phases. Topics will be relevant to today's ever-changing cultural and technological societies. Open to graduate students only.

 
Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

  Studio Elective
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Studio Elective

Studio Electives I, II, and III offer opportunities for graduate students to select studio courses from CCS’ wide-ranging undergraduate programs—either to pursue personal creative interests, gain studio experience related to an intended thesis direction, or augment basic skills. Students will make their selection in consultation with their graduate advisor. Under certain circumstances, subject to a student’s prior experience and specific thesis project requirements, Studio Elective II may be substituted for a liberal arts elective. Students may select upper-level undergraduate courses at the 400-level as electives in their graduate degree program.

MFA Design Curriculum

The graduate curriculum is best summed up by the place – Detroit. There is no other city where business and industry have so evidently been shaped by design; nor where design has so needed fluency in the language of factory floors and the bottom line.

Even then, the program distinguishes itself by requiring further study of liberal arts at the graduate level.

As ambitious as the curriculum is, it will be surpassed by the graduates themselves – designers whose goal is not to complete a program, but to engage the world.

Download the Graduate Catalog.

Apply Now ›

College for Creative Studies MFA Program

in partnership with the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business