There two distinct paths available to you at Emily Carr: MDes Interdisciplinary and MDes Interaction
MDes Interdisciplinary
Our MDes Interdisciplinary pathway is a two-year, on-campus degree that centres creative research and material exploration. This degree takes a human-centered approach to design, examining our communities’ social, technological, and experiential needs.
You'll focus on conceptual and theoretical design issues through a practice-based and creative approach. With an emphasis on making, you'll redefine sustainability and the role of design in our contemporary world.
What will you learn?
Students in this pathway engage in an interdisciplinary design practice through research seminars and studio classes. Alongside explorative coursework, you'll engage with a variety of emergent and established design streams through independent thesis development on a topic of your choice.
More wide-ranging and exploratory than the Interaction degree, the Interdisciplinary pathway foregrounds playfulness and hands-on learning to examine how material choices relate to community, sustainability, and social progress.
As an MDes Interdisciplinary student, you'll have the chance to participate in generative public presentations and exhibitions and a series of lectures from renowned designers. With access to an expansive on-campus suite of studios, labs, and research facilities, you will be immersed in innovative and formative play within a design field of your choice.
MDes Interaction
Our MDes Interaction pathway is a two-year, on-campus degree that includes coursework, creative research, and material exploration. The MDes Interaction program has a UX/UI focus, but goes far beyond that, too. Students investigate and challenge design approaches related to nature, services and systems, human relations with technology, ethics in data, and much more.
As an MDes Interaction student, you'll participate in innovative and generative coursework and independent thesis development.
What will you learn?
You'll choose a research focus area within the interaction design realm. This may involve researching human behaviour, the overlap between the physical and digital, the use of ephemeral materials, psychology in design, and other related topics of interest.
In a studio-practice and research-based environment, you will be encouraged to challenge assumptions on how we engage with one another and the world around us.
With access to various on-campus labs (including a VR lab) and participatory research guidance, you will lead and contribute to futuring, speculative writing, and experimental and collaborative design.
Research seminars, studio classes, public presentations, and lectures from renowned designers and scholars will inform, deepen, and supplement your design practice as you complete your coursework and thesis project.
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