Master Design — Prospective Design

This master's program in Design, specializing in Prospective Design, is offered by Université Jean Monnet in Saint-Etienne, France. Prospective or foresight-oriented design is a branch of the design discipline concerned with imagining and shaping future scenarios, exploring how products, services, systems, or environments might evolve in response to social, technological, or environmental change, rather than focusing solely on solving present-day problems. Students in this field typically study design research methods, scenario building and speculative design techniques, trend analysis, and the ethical and social implications of design choices projected into the future. Coursework often blends studio practice, where students develop conceptual projects exploring possible futures, with theoretical study drawing on sociology, technology studies, and sustainability thinking. This forward-looking orientation distinguishes prospective design from more conventional product or graphic design tracks, positioning it closer to strategic and research-driven design practice used by organizations seeking to anticipate change rather than simply react to it. Graduates from this discipline pursue roles such as design researcher, innovation consultant, foresight or trend analyst, strategic designer within corporate innovation teams, or independent design practice focused on speculative or research-based projects. The skills developed, critical thinking about long-term change, scenario development, and cross-disciplinary research, also transfer to roles in public policy design and organizational strategy. The program is taught in French, runs for two years, and is expected to start in September, leading to a master's degree with a yearly tuition of 250 EUR.