129 Sibley Dome
Ithaca, NY 14853
United States
The multicollege Design Tech department at Cornell University seeks applicants for a new Master of Science in Design Technology (MS DT). The two-year research and project degree program is offered jointly between Cornell AAP and Cornell Tech who will welcome the first cohort of students in fall 2024. Design Tech will host a virtual information session this fall ahead of the January 3, 2024, application deadline for those seeking more information about the program and how to apply (see below).
“At a time when we are seeing a paradigmatic shift in the way we think about design practice and research, this unique new degree program prepares the next generation of designers, engineers, scientists, technologists, and creatives to work across design and technology to take on some of our most urgent and complex challenges,” says AAP Dean J. Meejin Yoon.
Design as an expanding field in education, creative practice, and industry is reflected in the three focus areas that comprise the department and degree program. Areas include Design + Interactions, Design + Materials, and Design + Environments, to which Design Tech faculty bring expertise from AAP and Cornell partner colleges including, the Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Bowers CIS), Cornell Human Ecology (CHE), Cornell Engineering, and Cornell Tech. Students across all areas will have opportunities to study at both Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Cornell Tech in New York City.
“At Cornell, we are uniquely positioned to be pioneers in the burgeoning space between design and technology, given our expertise in design, robotics, nanotech and materials science, computer science, and beyond,” says Architecture Professor Jenny Sabin, Design Tech Department Chair and MS DT program director. “The department and new MS DT bring these areas together to advance design thinking, research, and practice across our disciplines. This program is a culmination of the imagination and efforts of many faculty and students who, over the last several years, have not only advanced design education at Cornell, but have created and continue to contribute to a critical new discipline.”
The department and new degree program stem from years of cross-disciplinary, cross-campus collaboration that makes it possible for students to pursue research and projects that bridge disciplines and domains with the aim of generating innovations across science and design for applications spanning digital tools, products, responsive materials, and the built environment.
“We are interested in what we can do together when we learn from each other,” says Cornell Tech Professor Wendy Ju, cofounder with Sabin of the pilot program that preceded the MS DT, Design Tech inaugural faculty member, and leading expert on design and interaction. “We use all kinds of new and changing technologies to explore possibilities in our research and studios while asking how our research, knowledge, and ideas can be applied in ways that make the world better.”
Design Tech invites prospective applications to RSVP here for a virtual open house on Wednesday, November 1 at 10am ET, ahead of the January 3, 2024, application deadline. Please visit the MS in Design Technology page to learn more about the program and the Department of Design Tech at Cornell.
*Image above: Jenny Sabin, Professor of Architecture and Chair of the multicollege Department of Design Tech discuss Automata Mangrove, a grad student group project at Cornell Tech Open Studios.
