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  4. Design
  5. Master of Science

Master of Science

MS
  • Hasso Plattner Institute of Design opens in a new tab
Program Minimum Units
51 Units
University Minimum Units
45 Units
Program Length
2 Years
Interests
Design & User Experience, Ethics, Experimentation & Discovery, Business & Entrepreneurship, Helping Others
Academic Areas
Design, Engineering & Computer Science, Sustainability

Overview

Welcome to Design! The DESIGN-MS bulletin outlines 2026-2027 degree requirements for students pursuing the Master of Science degree (MS) from the School of Engineering opens in a new tab. The master's degree is only offered to active students admitted through Graduate Admissions opens in a new tab. The degree is administered by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford opens in a new tab (The Stanford d.school). 100% completion of all degree requirements within this engineering program, along with meeting Graduate Academic Progress opens in a new tab, can lead to the conferral of the Master of Science in Design (DESIGN-MS).

Master of Science (MS) Design students (nicknamed Loftees) will develop a strong practice in human-centered design abilities, making, creativity, and applied project work in their chosen domain. The first year foregrounds a structured design practice that pushes to stretch intellectually and grow their skills as makers across mediums. Students will advance in focus through choosing one method and identify a domain focus. A Method will allow students to gain a depth of practice in a select set of mediums. The Domain area will allow exploring challenges in different disciplines where designers can have an impact, and where there are increasing academic and professional opportunities.

The degree prepares students for further study in design, design careers in public or private sector institutions, entrepreneurial endeavors, and even careers that may not yet exist.

Requirements

Program Requirements

Project Based Design Work

Project Based Design Work courses are taken early in your time with the program. They focus on project-based learning experiences.

Complete all of the following course(s):
DESIGN 301

You Are Here: Foundations in Design

4 Units
DESIGN 341

Advanced Design Practicum

4 Units
DESIGN 360R

Advanced Reflective Practice

1 Units

A) (DESIGN 301) and (DESIGN 360R) are taken in the first quarter of graduate studies.

B) (DESIGN 341) is taken in spring quarter of your first year of graduate studies.

C) (DESIGN 231) is a prerequisite for (DESIGN 341).

Human Factors in Design

Human Factors will help you explore the differentiation of design from other making professions. Graduate Design Research Techniques will draw from the philosophy of Bob McKim to emphasize the centrality of "need" through hands-on, design research challenges.

Complete all of the following course(s):
DESIGN 231

Graduate Design Research Techniques

3-4 Units

A) (DESIGN 231) is taken in winter quarter of your first year of graduate studies. It serves as a prerequisite to (DESIGN 341).

Design Ethics

These ethics-centric classes push you to wrestle with the ethical implications of your design work.

Earn at least 3 units in the following course(s):
BIOE 313

Neuromorphics: Brains in Silicon

3 Units
CS 281

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

3-4 Units
DATASCI 294D

The Data Science of Disinformation

1-3 Units
EARTHSYS 279

The Science & Practice of Valuing Nature for a Better World

1-3 Units
EDUC 381

Diversity and Equity Issues in Higher Education

3 Units
GENE 220

Introduction to Genetics, Ethics, and Society

1-2 Units
GSBGEN 208

Leading with Values

2 Units
LAW 3009

Health Law: Improving Public Health

3 Units
LAW 7039

Reproductive Rights and Justice

2 Units
MS&E 289

Ethics in Global Technology Design

3 Units
NBIO 201

Social and Ethical Issues in the Neurosciences

2-3 Units
PUBLPOL 203F

Ethics of Truth in a Post-Truth World

3 Units
PUBLPOL 222

BioSecurity and Pandemic Resilience

2-5 Units
PUBLPOL 234

Ethics on the Edge: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, Government, and Individuals

3-4 Units

A) (DATASCI 294D) is allowed but only if taken for a minimum of 3 units.

Leadership

You will work on design projects in a team-based setting over your time in the program. Leadership challenges you to level-up from a participant to being an effective, thoughtful leader.

Earn at least 3 units in the following course(s):
CEE 251

Negotiation

3 Units
DESIGN 235

View from the Future: Speaker Series with Industry Pioneers Designing the Future

1 Units
DESIGN 273

Negotiation by Design: Crafting Environmental Agreement

3 Units
DESIGN 368

Leadership Lab

3 Units
GSBGEN 515

Essentials of Strategic Communication

2 Units
GSBGID 330

Leading Environmental Sustainability by Design

3 Units
EDUC 377G

Problem Solving for Social Change

3 Units
GSBGEN 565

Political Communication: How Leaders Become Leaders

2 Units
ME 378

Tell, Make, Engage: Action Stories for Entrepreneuring

1-3 Units
MS&E 280

Organizational Behavior: Evidence in Action

3 Units
OB 377

The Paths to Power

3 Units
SUST 220

Case Studies in Leading Change for Sustainability

3 Units

Visualization

Visualization courses push you to represent information visually and spatially in your storytelling.

Earn at least 3 units in the following course(s):
COMM 281

Exploring Computational Journalism

3 Units
CS 448B

Data Visualization

3-4 Units
DESIGN 160

Visual Expressions

2-4 Units
DESIGN 236P

Print on Purpose

2 Units
DESIGN 255

The Design of Data

3 Units
DESIGN 365

Advanced Creative Studies

2-4 Units
MUSIC 255

Intermedia Workshop

4 Units

Applied Design

For Applied Design, you may take any graduate level, project-based elective design course taught at the d.school in winter or spring of the 2026-2027 academic year with prior permission from your advisor.  Double-check your class selection with your advisor before enrolling. Lecture and panel-based classes do not qualify.  

Courses under three units can not be used for this requirement.  Most (but not all) d.school elective courses are appropriate for graduate students.  Your advisor can be a great resource to talk out your selection and for guidance.

Earn at least 3 units in the following course(s):
BIOE 374B

Biodesign Innovation: Concept Development and Implementation

4 Units
ENGR 231

Transformative Design

3 Units
DESIGN 242

Wild Ways of Making

3 Units
DESIGN 245

Redesigning Finance

4 Units
DESIGN 255

The Design of Data

3 Units
DESIGN 262

Design for Healthy Behaviors

2-3 Units
DESIGN 265

Psychedelic Medicine by Design

3 Units
DESIGN 266

Healthcare Acceleration: Artificial Intelligence

3-4 Units
DESIGN 268

Designing for Democracy: Election Administration

3-4 Units
DESIGN 273

Negotiation by Design: Crafting Environmental Agreement

3 Units
DESIGN 276

Designing Organizational Culture

3 Units
DESIGN 284

Designing for Physical AI

4 Units
DESIGN 287

Design for Play

3-4 Units
DESIGN 294

Design to Equip Learners in Under-Resourced Communities

2-3 Units
DESIGN 315

WHY NOW? Exploring your Work, Choices and Creativity (Designer in Society)

3 Units
DESIGN 368

Leadership Lab

3 Units
DESIGN 399

LaunchPad: Design and Launch your Product or Service

4 Units

Thesis

For your thesis, you will scope and execute design work that integrates and draws upon what you have learned across your methods depth and domain focus area. You will take all three classes within the thesis sequence in their final year of graduate studies.

Complete all of the following course(s):
DESIGN 361A

MS Design Thesis 1

3 Units
DESIGN 361B

MS Design Thesis 2

3 Units
DESIGN 361C

MS Design Thesis 3

3 Units

Depth in Discipline

Methods Focus Area

Complete any of the following requirements:
Physical Form + Manufacturing
Complete all of the following requirements:
One Course
Complete all of the following course(s):
ME 203

Design and Manufacturing

4 Units

A) (ME 203) must be taken in year one of graduate study.

B) It is recommended to take this class early, if space/enrollment allows, should it help you decide if Physical Making will be your Methods Depth.

and
Two Additional Courses
Complete at least 2 of the following courses:
ENGR 240

Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems

3 Units
ME 210

Introduction to Mechatronics

4 Units
ME 219

The Magic of Materials and Manufacturing

3 Units
ME 263

The Chair

4 Units
ME 318

Computer-Aided Product Creation

3-4 Units
ME 324

Precision Engineering

4 Units
ME 325

Making Multiples: Injection Molding

4 Units
ME 303

Soft Composites and Soft Robotics

3 Units

A) (ME 219), (ME 318), (ME 324), and (ME 325) are courses in high demand with limited capacity.  Admission isn’t guaranteed and students should plan to be flexible and have backup options.

B) Note: Some of these classes may not be offered in a given academic year.

or
Emerging Technologies + Digital User Experience
Complete all of the following requirements:
One Course
Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
CS 106A

Programming Methodology

3-5 Units
CS 106B

Programming Abstractions

3-5 Units

A) (CS 106A), (CS 106B), or higher level CS class (by advisor’s permission) must be taken in year one of graduate study.

and
Two Additional Courses
Complete at least 2 of the following courses:
BMDS 270

Algorithmic Foundations for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

3-4 Units
COMM 254

The Politics of Algorithms

4-5 Units
COMM 272

Media Psychology

4-5 Units
CS 129

Applied Machine Learning

3-4 Units
CS 131

Computer Vision: Foundations and Applications

3-4 Units
CS 223A

Introduction to Robotics

3 Units
CS 247A

Design for Artificial Intelligence

3-4 Units
CS 278

Social Computing

3-4 Units
CS 347

Human-Computer Interaction: Foundations and Frontiers

3-4 Units
CS 372

Artificial General Intelligence for Reasoning, Planning, and Decision Making

3 Units
CS 377Q

Designing for Accessibility

3-4 Units
CS 476A

Music, Computing, Design: The Art of Design

3-4 Units
CS 259Q

Quantum Computing

3 Units
MUSIC 356

Music and AI

3-4 Units
or
Human Behavior + Multi-stakeholder Research
Complete all of the following requirements:
One Course
Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
COMM 206

Communication Research Methods

4-5 Units
PSYCH 215

Mind, Culture, and Society

3 Units
PSYCH 238

Wise Interventions

3-5 Units
STATS 110

Introduction to Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences

5 Units
STATS 191

Introduction to Applied Statistics

3 Units

This course should be taken in year one of graduate study.

and
Two Additional Courses
Complete at least 2 of the following courses:
ANTHRO 298C

Digital Methods in Anthropology

3 Units
COMM 224

Truth, Trust, and Tech

4-5 Units
COMM 266

Virtual People

4-5 Units
COMM 281

Exploring Computational Journalism

3 Units
CS 278

Social Computing

3-4 Units
CS 347

Human-Computer Interaction: Foundations and Frontiers

3-4 Units
CS 377U

Understanding Users

3-4 Units
EDUC 450C

Qualitative Interviewing

3-5 Units
ESS 227

Decision Science for Environmental Threats

3-5 Units
FEMGEN 344F

New Directions in Gendered Innovations in Science, Medicine, Technology, and Environment

4-5 Units
MS&E 226

Fundamentals of Data Science: Prediction, Inference, Causality

3 Units
PSYCH 290

Natural Language Processing in the Social Sciences

3 Units
SOC 226

Introduction to Social Networks

4 Units

A Methods Depth lets you take classes across the university to sharpen making skills, abilities, and gain professional fluency.  Units for each Method should range from 8-10 units.  Within each method you will take three classes with a focus on foundational understanding and application. You should decide on your Method depth no later than Winter quarter of your first year of graduate studies.  You must choose one of three Method Depths tracks listed below.

[1] Physical Design + Manufacturing — Methods range from classes on materials and mechanisms (to understand what is possible with physical design) to manufacturing processes and supply chain logistics (to understand how physical design is implemented).

[2] Emerging Technologies + Digital User Experience — Methods range from foundational programming methodologies and human-computer interaction classes to applied courses on digital prototyping, user experience design, and incorporating AI and data science.

[3] Human Behavior + Multi-stakeholder Research — Methods span qualitative and quantitative approaches to better understand people – who we are, what we do, and why we do it.  Classes focus on communication, data science, and psychology to help understand how to design for the human experience. 

Fulfill ANY of the following requirements:

Breadth in Discipline

Domain Focus Area

A Domain Focus Area is a unique opportunity for you to immerse in a field that you are curious about or motivated by.  You can apply their design abilities within a specific context, and emerge having a changed perspective. Domain courses give you a breadth and depth understanding of a context where design work might be applied.

To fulfill a Domain, you will identify the name of your focus and pursue a rigorous course load that is pre-planned and coordinated with your faculty advisor.  Units are expected to be a minimum of 8 units, and all courses must have alignment with the scope of your Domain.

Note: After your Domain is defined and all classes coordinated with your faculty advisor, the Design Student Services Officer will setup your My Academic Path (MAP) page to account for those classes in the Domain section.