Master of Design Futures
Student type:
Quick facts
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Entry score
Not applicable
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Duration
Full-time 1.5 years, Part-time 3 years -
Location
Melbourne City, Online -
Fees
AU$37,440 (2022 total)
Next intake
February, July, OctoberEntry score
Not applicable
Duration
Full-time 1.5 yearsLocation
Online
Overview
The world is changing rapidly, and the pace of innovation and digital disruption is accelerating. Despite this, many of the social, cultural, political and professional structures that support our communities have remained static and unchallenged for generations. Our education, healthcare and primary production systems, our workplaces and our products need to keep up. We need design leaders, design strategists and design thinkers to dismantle these structures, and to dissect and solve some of our most complex problems. Whether it’s rethinking the way remote communities access healthcare, creating a less risk-averse corporate culture, or developing a more individualised education system, our world needs more innovative thinkers and communicators; people with the knowledge and skills to design our future.
The Master of Design Futures is an accelerated, graduate course for working professionals. It is suitable for both designers and non-designers who are looking to transition into new design practices and for those wanting to advance their careers in strategic leadership roles.
In this flexible and self-directed course, you will benefit from experiential learning practices as you develop the strategic skills and tools required for leadership. Empathic research, journey mapping, rapid prototyping and storytelling are all tools that you will learn to use in your problem solving process.
This course will equip you to be a design leader by:
- Extending your practice in strategic, communication and service design
- Framing this new practice in the context of designing social, cultural and economic futures
- Introducing you to a close-knit global network of design professionals and different orders of design problems
- Helping you to identify and articulate contributions you make to organisations, as well as the value that design brings to business, government and society.
Why Human Centred Design is a key future skill
From a corporate career to discovering human centred design, Joanne is seizing her future.
Details
As a working professional, you will enjoy the freedom and flexibility of online education. You will take part in constructive and mutually beneficial conversations with your peers via online video meetings and in our chat channels.
Early on, you will nominate the topic of your own major research project. You will be encouraged to approach your chosen topic in an innovative and insightful way, utilising the skills and knowledge acquired through the course.
You’ll utilise your design skills and tackle real-world problems throughout the year, responding to briefs framed by our network of industry partners.
Assessment involves presentations, reports, solo projects and group work.
RMIT University is committed to providing you with an education that strongly links formal learning with professional or vocational practice.
Our Industry Advisory Board, made up of Australian and international designers, is lead by Adjunct Professor Dan Hill from the Future Cities Catapult. The board links our teaching with the latest directions in strategic design and design leadership. Dan is joined by Ewan McEwan, the Hugh D.T Williamson Senior Curator of the Department of Contemporary Design.
Program features
- Accelerated, innovative curriculum spanning 1.5 years full-time, 3 years part-time
- Delivered fully online
- Orientation module consisting of commissioned keynote presentations by international leaders in the field
- Introductory transition module of facilitated learning experiences designed to help working practitioners transition to study.
3 Core Courses (24 credit points each):
- Future Design Contexts: new modes of design practice, from social entrepreneurship to strategic design
- Future Design Clients: techniques and skills for working with people in design
- Future Design Leadership: how design works inside organisations
3 Electives (12 credit points each):
- Design Strategy
- Service Design
- Choose one equivalent course offered by any school or university
Research Project:
- Research methods (12 credit points)
- Major Project as capstone to the program (24 credit points)
The following program structure(s) is an example of what students are currently studying in this program.
Choose a program structure
| Title | Location | Duration | Plan code | CRICOS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Design Futures | City Campus |
1.5 Year (3 semesters) Full Time; 3 Years (6 semesters) Part Time
|
1.5 Year (3 semesters) Full Time
|
MC245 |
Choose a program structure
Program code: MC245
Career
The Master of Design Futures has been developed to help build the skills required for senior management and leadership roles in design-conscious organisations. These include traditional design businesses, as well as a growing number of public and private organisations that use human centred design to achieve their long and short-term goals.
Graduate careers include:
- Design Leader
- Director, Human Centred Design
- Design Strategist
- Service Design Lead
- Chief Experience Officer
These careers exist under various job titles in many sectors including:
- CorporateRetail
- Banking
- Finance
- Health
- Government
- Not-for-profit
- Cultural organisations
Admissions
You must have:
- Successfully completed an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent overseas qualification), AND five years' significant professional experience that demonstrates your knowledge of human-centred design and any experience or skills that would be valuable to this practice
OR
- At least eight significant professional experience that demonstrates your knowledge of human-centred design and any experience or skills that would be valuable to this practice.
Experience or skills may include leadership, innovation, creative practice, community engagement, change management, forward thinking, social innovation, strategic and service planning and implementation.
To have your professional experience considered you must include in your application a CV and a personal statement that details your experience.
Selection tasks
You must include with your application a personal statement outlining:
- why you will benefit from undertaking the Master of Design Futures
- how it aligns to your interests, aspirations and career ambitions
- your understanding and experience of contemporary human-centred design.
You must have:
- Successfully completed an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent overseas qualification), AND
Five years' significant professional experience that demonstrates your knowledge of human-centred design and any experience or skills that would be valuable to this practice OR
- At least eight significant professional experience that demonstrates your knowledge of human-centred design and any experience or skills that would be valuable to this practice.
Experience or skills may include leadership, innovation, creative practice, community engagement, change management, forward thinking, social innovation, strategic and service planning and implementation.
To have your professional experience considered you must include in your application a CV and a personal statement that details your experience.
Entry requirements
You must include with your application a personal statement outlining:
- why you will benefit from undertaking the Master of Design Futures
- how it aligns to your interests, aspirations and career ambitions
- your understanding and experience of contemporary human-centred design.
Pathways
Graduates from the Graduate Certificate in Service Design can continue their studies in this program, subject to the program’s entrance requirements.
Credit and recognition of prior learning
Credit, recognition of prior learning, professional experience and accreditation from a professional body can reduce the duration of your study by acknowledging your earlier, relevant experience. Find out if you might be eligible.
Fees
2022 indicative fees
Full-fee places: AU$37,440.
Additional expenses
- Student services and amenities fee (SSAF): AU$315 maximum fee for 2022.
- Other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment.
Annual fee adjustment
This is an accelerated program. The 2022 tuition fee quoted is based on a total annual load of 144 credit points.
Fees are adjusted on an annual basis and these fees should only be used as a guide.
Defer your payment
This program is offered on a full-fee paying basis only. If you are offered a place, you will need to pay the full tuition costs of your program. However, eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) may apply to defer payment of some or all of their tuition fees via the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme.
Learn more about fees for postgraduate study.
Payments and refunds
For information on how to pay your fees or how to apply for a refund, please see Paying your fees and applying for refunds.
Eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) may apply to defer payment of some or all of their tuition fees via the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme.
How does a HELP loan work?
If your FEE-HELP and/or SA-HELP loan application is successful, the Australian Government will pay RMIT, on your behalf, up to 100% of your fees. This amount will become part of your accumulated HELP debt.
You only start repaying your accumulated HELP debt to the Australian Government once you earn above the minimum income threshold for repayment, which is set each year by the Australian Government (this also applies if you are still studying). The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include this on your income tax notice.
For more information about loan repayment options see Commonwealth assistance (HELP loans) or Study Assist.
In addition to tuition fees, you will be charged an annual student services and amenities fee (SSAF), which is used to maintain and enhance services and amenities that improve your experience as an RMIT student.
The SSAF is calculated based on your enrolment load and the maximum fee for 2022 is $315.
For more information about calculating your actual SSAF see Paying SSAF.
You may also be required to purchase other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment. These additional fees and expenses vary from program to program.
Local student postgraduate tuition fees apply for all students of this program.
The indicative local students total tuition fee for full-fee places for 2022 commencement is AU$37,440.
This is an accelerated program. The 2022 fee quoted is based on a total annual load of 144 credit points.
Postgraduate tuition fees are adjusted annually.
In addition to tuition fees you also need to pay for:
- Student services and amenities fee (SSAF) in each calendar year.
- Some programs incur additional expenses.
Applying for refunds
For information on how to apply for a refund as a continuing international student, please see Refunds.
Looking for answers or more general infomation?
For frequently asked questions or how to find more information regarding applications and enrolments, fees, student support services, university policies and more, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.