MS Design focused on Health at The University of Texas at Austin
In this rigorous 10-month graduate program, you’ll work side-by-side with a diverse group of individuals whose backgrounds may include healthcare, design, education, business, art, engineering, and UT Dell Medical students. Learn why human-centered design is a powerful tool for producing innovative solutions to immediate challenges in the health space, and equally, for imagining possible futures.
The M.A. in Design focused on Health program at The University of Texas at Austin focuses on person-centered design methodologies to innovate for the health care system of the future. In this program, you’ll apply strategic design thinking to understand the needs of people seeking health services, receiving care, and delivering care. You’ll engage in research and practice ideation techniques for generating new approaches to solving real-world health and wellness challenges. The coursework and mentorship from leading practitioners in the field will equip you with the knowledge to turn working prototypes into viable solutions and the skills to craft compelling stories that drive groundbreaking change across the healthcare industry.
Starting in the summer, your first graduate courses for the Design focused on Health degree will give you preliminary instruction in studio-based design, design research methods, and prototyping. This foundational sequence equips you with the tools needed for field research, cutting-edge design in health courses, and the final Capstone project that ensues through the spring.
The fall semester will introduce you to advanced service design methodologies and practical approaches for addressing challenges specific to the healthcare industry. You’ll learn to take a holistic human-centered approach as you engage in fieldwork to uncover your audiences’ needs, develop user journeys, and interpret insights to drive change.
In your final semester, you’ll dive even deeper into concepts of health as well as healthcare systems with a focus on your final Capstone project. Working in a collaborative group, your team will devise a design-led plan for tackling a real-world client challenge. The ultimate objective is to prepare you with indispensable knowledge for integrating design-based solutions into the healthcare industry resulting in more human-centered services and value out in the world. The Capstone project culminates in a final presentation to clients, peers, and faculty–and a professional piece for your portfolio.