Program Overview

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Master of Design Program Overview

The Master of Design (MDes) is a professional graduate program for students who want to turn ideas into results. Rooted in critical design thinking, creative practice, and design principles, the MDes program empowers students to tackle real-world challenges alongside industry, community, and public sector partners.

Program Structure

• The MDes program is a 12-month, full-time, in-person professional program that prepares graduates to lead at the intersection of design, innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
• Designed for students from a range of academic backgrounds, including technical, business, arts, and creative disciplines, who want to pursue a professional master’s degree in design and innovation.
• This program will cultivate a community of designers ready to tackle real-world industry challenges.

Student Experience

• Students will be part of a small, cohort-based program providing 1:1 interaction with award-winning faculty from both the School of Engineering and the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.
• The program’s structure allows students to move from problem exploration and stakeholder engagement to implementation, prototyping, and advanced solution development in collaboration with industry and community partners.

Career Advancement

• MDes cultivates a vibrant, innovation-driven learning community focused on real-world change.
• Graduates are equipped to bridge the gap between technical and creative domains, positioning them for leadership roles such as product manager, design strategist, or director of product and design.

Program Timeline

To complete the 30-credit professional master’s degree, students must complete:

• 15 credits of core courses,
• 3 credits of elective courses, and
• 12 credits of facilitated studio/makerspace and showcase work.

Course Schedule

• May and June (Summer term 1): 2 Courses (6 Credits) - DICE 501 (3) Design and Innovation + DICE 502 (3) Innovation and Participatory Research
• July and August (Summer term 2): 2 Courses (9 Credits) - DICE 503 (3) Visualization and Virtualization of Design and Production Cycle + DICE 504 (6) Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
• September—April (Fall and Winter terms): 2 Courses - DICE 505 (6) Studio Experience + DICE 507 (6) Showcase
• Any term: + 1 (3 credit) elective course Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies or School of Engineering graduate courses (can be taken at any time, must be approved by program advisor)

Focuses and Faculty

Program Cornerstones

• Design: Merge technical depth with creative freedom. Through cross-disciplinary, problem-based learning, students develop solutions that are not only functional but meaningful.
• Innovation: Design not just for efficiency, but for life. We place human dignity, wholeness, and compassion at the center of innovation.
• Creativity: Keep the spirit alive. Students learn visualization, drawing, design thinking, and project management, but always in service of deeper creativity, cultural respect, and authentic collaboration.
• Entrepreneurship: Build ventures that protect what is vital. Using a start-up framework, students create socially and culturally responsive solutions in collaboration with practicing experts.

Master of Design Program Team

• Dr. Kenneth Chau
• Dr. Megan Smith
• Myron Campbell
• Dr. Sabine Weyand
• Dr. Ray Taheri
• Dr. Alon Eisenstein
• Dr. Richard J. Aleong

Master of Design Entrance Award

The Master of Design Entrance Award is a merit-based $5,000 award for incoming, full-time students accepted into the Master of Design Program. Selection is based on academic excellence, creativity, and design innovation potential.

Eligibility

• Be an incoming, full-time domestic or international student admitted to the Master of Design program
• Demonstrate academic excellence, creativity, and design innovation potential

Careers and Outcomes

The skills learned in this program will set students up for success post-graduation, enabling them to go into industry or entrepreneurship and tackle complex challenges. MDes graduates may pursue careers in the areas of:

• Product management
• Design director
• Design lead
• Design strategist
• Director of product
• Design and head of product-type roles

Tuition and Funding

UBC Okanagan’s tuition and fees compare favourably with universities of the same high calibre.

Tuition

• Program: MDes
• Schedule: Full-time
• Domestic (per year): $30,220
• International (per year): $52,600

Admission and Applying

The Master of Design program is designed for graduates of bachelor’s degrees from engineering, technical, business, creative, and arts backgrounds.

Admission Requirements

• Relevant academic experience with a minimum overall grade
• English language proficiency
• Program-specific requirements

Academic Experience

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a field relevant to the program. They must also meet UBC’s minimum academic requirements, which are based on the country where they completed their undergraduate degree.

Proof of English Language Proficiency

For success in the program, applicants must be able to fluently speak, comprehend, and write in English. If they completed their degree at a university in a country where English is not the only official language, they may need to provide results of an English language proficiency test as part of their application.

How to Apply

• Applications for May 2026 are now open
• There is one intake in May of each year
• Application deadlines:
  • International students: January 9, 2026
  • Domestic students: January 30, 2026

Application Details

A complete application package will contain:

• Online application and application fee
• CV or resume
• Names of two referees
• Unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended are required for the application package; however, if admitted, students are required to submit official transcripts to the College of Graduate Studies.

Program Specific Requirements

• Statement of interest (maximum 1,000 words) outlining their motivation for applying, their academic and professional goals, and why they believe they are a strong fit for the program
• Supporting documents (as applicable)
  • Professional portfolio (up to 10 samples and/or links to digital work) or description of projects completed (descriptions of projects completed through coursework is acceptable)

Global and Close-Knit

At UBC Okanagan, students gain all the benefits of attending a globally ranked, top 3% university while studying in a close-knit learning community. 50% of graduates, from all across the globe, choose to stay in the region.

Discover the Okanagan

A diverse natural region with sandy beaches, beautiful farms, vineyards, orchards, and snow-capped mountains, the Okanagan is an inspirational landscape perfect for those seeking leisure or outdoor adventure. UBC’s Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic development with a population of more than 150,000 people—the fourth fastest-growing population in Canada.