Program Overview

MFA in Design Program

The Master of Fine Arts in Design program, with a concentration in design studies, challenges students to think deeply and broadly about the role of design in society, with a focus on four objectives: creative production, integrated research, critical perspective, and cultural impact.

Purpose

We intentionally recruit applicants from diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds to form an educational environment designed to expand and enrich students' capability and awareness, training them to synthesize approaches from various fields to produce designed artifacts that showcase applied concepts that are innovative, culturally relevant, and research-based.

Mission

The MFA in Design program is interdisciplinary because designers face complex problems that defy easy categorization. Increasingly, they need to navigate between and blend disciplines, maximizing resources and working adaptively to create new environments, visuals, messaging, and artifacts.

Program Overview

Our full-time, two-year graduate program trains students to understand clients, collaborators, and design challenges in original and authentic ways. The program combines aspects of fine arts studio practice, digital craft, architecture, and graphic, fashion, and product design, thereby providing a hybridized education.

Program Strengths

Our program's strength lies in its ability to support each student's unique interests, providing a customized, educational experience tailored to the needs of each individual. We set high expectations, encouraging discipline and rigor in the pursuit of nuanced, meaningful work. Our program attracts students who are inquisitive, open-minded, and eager to explore and experiment.

MFA in Design Research

The MFA in Design program offers generous research support, fostering creative activity and encouraging innovative, authentic work. Students benefit from generous Graduate Fellowship funding, access to the Graduate Student Research Grant program, funded participation in MFA ON-THE-GO, our annual field study program, and special one-time research stipends designed to support eligible, individual opportunities.

Student Thesis Projects

• Tools for Celebrating Qatari Wellness by Abdulrahman Al Muftah
• Tools for Sustainable Ablution by Faheem Khan
• Form Follows Culture by Nada Elkharashi
• The Paradox of Play and Productivity by Yeon Geong Hwang
• Monumentalizing Rituals of the Palestinian Diaspora by Reema Abu Hassan
• Cultural Production in Qatar: Design, Dialog and the New Authentic by Asma Derouiche

Faculty Research

• Virga by Rab McClure
• STUDIO 7 by Marco Bruno
• Future Memories by Giovanni Innella

Other Projects

• Collaborative Matrix by Reema Abu Hassan
• re:collections by Yasmeen Suleiman
• Smart Block by Marco Bruno

Careers

The MFA in Design with a concentration in Design Studies is a terminal degree in the field of design; that is, it is the credential needed to teach at the university level. Graduates from our program pursue diverse and rewarding careers in art and design as practicing designers, independent makers, curators, business owners, entrepreneurs, academics, and researchers.

Notable Alumni

• Reema Abu Hassan, MFA Class of 2020, Founder and Owner, Clay Encounters
• Aisha Nasser Al Sowaidi, MFA Class of 2014, Founder and Director, Liwan Design Studios
• Hawa Stwodah, MFA Class of 2016, Assistant Professor, Department of Fashion Design + Merchandising, VCUarts, Richmond

Meet Our Alumni

Our alumni have achieved notable recognition for their work, including:

• Alaa Albarazy's thesis project selected for exhibition during Dubai Design Week
• Amna Yandarbin's thesis project selected for top honor by an international jury at the Lost Graduation Show
• Reema Abu Hassan's thesis project chosen as the best overall project in the category of Contemporary Craft at the Arts Thread Global Design Graduate Show 2020

Our People

Our faculty and staff include:

• Rab McClure, Director Of Graduate Studies
• Marco Bruno, Associate Professor
• Dr. Giovanni Innella, Associate Professor
• Stella Colaleo, Adjunct Faculty
• Michael Wirtz, Head, Research & Library Technology
• Reema Abu Hassan, Adjunct Faculty
• Yasmeen Suleiman, Head Of Materials Library
• Rebecca David, Administrative and IAS Program Specialist