Graduate School
Graduate School
Designed to expand your career opportunities.
At the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech, design is a method as well as a mentality. Our graduates find both invaluable as they secure and create impactful careers as product managers, design researchers, entrepreneurs, strategists, and consultants in business, government, and academia.
The only design school in the US devoted exclusively to graduate study, we expand the tenets and applications of human-centered design and systems-based design—both pioneered here—so you can identify and build new ways forward in any industry or role, even in the most challenging times.
Degree Programs
Master of Design (MDes)
Go beyond design thinking. Join future thought leaders, researchers, strategists, and change agents to develop solutions to the most challenging problems of our time, find new ways forward, and create opportunities for organizations to grow and flourish.
Master of Design & MBA (MDes + MBA)
Help organizations adapt to the speed, scale, and complexity of today’s world. Join the first dual-degree program to combine a user-centered approach to design strategy and innovation with core business management skills.
Master of Design & Master of Public Administration (MDes + MPA)
Address dynamic and complex civic and social challenges with rigor, depth, and imagination. The first program of its kind—tailored for professionals who aspire to lead collaborative, interdisciplinary innovation initiatives within the civic sector.
Master of Science in Strategic Design Leadership (MS-SDL)
This rigorous program, formerly known as the Master of Design Methods (MDM), is ideal for established professionals across a broad range of fields who are seeking to accelerate their careers. You will access vital skills and knowledge applicable to real-world challenges within large and small enterprises, from management consulting to design strategy to social innovation.
PhD in Design
Develop pioneering research at the birthplace of human-centered design and the first US school to offer a PhD in design. Faculty advisors specialize in design’s newest frontiers: behavioral design, data, food systems, sustainability, and more. Alumni lead academic programs at other universities and serve as vital change agents at global corporations.
Featured Student Work
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The ID Experience
At ID, you’ll find your creativity nurtured and critical thinking skills honed. Learn to use design to address complex social challenges, from climate change to healthcare to education. And do it all in the heart of Chicago, one of the world’s most innovative cities.
A Solid Future
At ID, we know what organizations are looking for when recruiting talent—and how to help students secure their futures. Through practical experiences, career support, and alumni networking, ID students leave prepared to succeed.
We help you make the connections that create opportunities, and our rankings show it.
From Our Students
Why Did You Come to ID?
“I came to ID during a crossroads in my life where I wanted to figure out how to blend the skills that I’ve learned with the skills that I want.”
—Sai Allena (MDes + MBA 2024)
“There were so many large systemic problems that my background in architecture and structural engineering was not preparing me to solve.”
—Tera Delancy (MDes + MBA 2024)
Why ID?
“I have the opportunity to really dig deep into systems and understand what needs to change and why it needs to change.”
—Faysal Biobaku (MDes 2024)
“If you’re considering design in general, ID is the place to be for thinking broadly and deeply about what design means.”
—Michael George (MDes + MBA 2025)
What Makes ID Special?
“I love the small intimacy you receive at ID.”
—Selena Burke (PhD 2025)
“I’m an international student, but I’ve never been in a room where there’s so many different nationalities, races, backgrounds.”
—Samantha Chandra (MDes 2025)
End of Year Show
At our annual End of Year Show (EOYS), current ID students show off their hard work and invite the whole ID community to explore the state of design, how it’s changing, and where it’s going.
Here’s a snapshot of EOYS 2024. Join us for EOYS 2025, coming May 16!