Graduate School
Designed to expand your career opportunities.
At the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech (ID), design is a method as well as a mentality. Our graduates find both invaluable as they create impactful careers in business, government, academia, and other professions.
We offer a range of rigorous graduate programs that expand the tenets and applications of human-centered design, systems-based design, and holistic design—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 Policy Administration (MDes + MPPA)
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 Design Methods (MDM)
This rigorous program 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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Rooted in Chicago
When you join us at the Institute of Design, you also become part of a fascinating and diverse city of 2.7 million people. In Chicago, you experience the advantages of city life while enjoying the support and resources of ID and Illinois Tech.
Career Support
Practical Experiences
With our broad focus on business and social innovation, ID has a singular understanding of what organizations are looking for when recruiting talent. We also help make the connections that create opportunities, with an alumni network that actively recruits ID graduates.