Use design thinking to solve real-life challenges

Put your unique way of thinking to work and develop design-thinking skills to become a leader of change with the accelerated Master of Science in Design + Innovation from UW–Madison. In just one year, you’ll develop the foundational knowledge and cross-disciplinary skills to solve challenging problems for a range of creative design careers.

Our interdisciplinary program curriculum combines ideas and perspectives from five areas: engineering, business, human ecology, art and information science. Choose from four specialized learning tracks — product design, communication design, UI/UX design or design strategy — for depth in areas of application, all while exploring the most advanced technology in real-world, hands-on projects.

Get ahead faster

UW–Madison’s accelerated engineering master’s programs are a popular choice for engineers who want to earn their master’s in as little as 12–16 months.

Classes are conducted in person, so you benefit from classroom instruction and hands-on lab work, learning alongside peers who share your interests, faculty who are outstanding leaders in their fields and industry professionals with real-world expertise.

No thesis is required, so you can put your knowledge to work right away.

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Explore Engineering Design Programs @ UW–Madison

Design + Innovation

Master of Science in Design + Innovation

Delivery method: Face-to-face, on campus
Time to completion: 12 months
Fall application deadline: February 1

Work with an interdisciplinary team to think differently, innovate change, and solve challenging problems. Be prepared to meet industry demand for design thinking, product design and creative design skills.

Hear from our students

“The MDI program helped me build a portfolio of projects and provided applied experience working collaboratively with a client on an exciting capstone project. The program prepared me to be an innovative design professional equipped to take on a wide array of problems through user research and an iterative design process.”

— Jordan Stombaugh, UX designer/researcher, Infosec

“I chose MD+I because I wanted to take my career in a more creative direction. I like the fact that the program is interdisciplinary and allows me to explore multiple fields. The people here are so supportive and aware of how new and ever-changing this field is and are always willing to help students navigate it.”

— Ellie Vandewater, MSx’23

“I chose the MD+I program because it complemented my UW–Madison Capstone Certificate in User Experience Design. The rigor of the MS program has helped me expand my thinking and approach to the problems of healthcare. It’s a complex space, and the learnings and resources of this program have provided great support to my work in health care technology.”

— Melissa Austin, MSx’23, senior user experience researcher, Carelon