Why EDI?
The Master of Science in Engineering Design Innovation (EDI) program teaches you to lead the design of future innovative products, services, and technologies. EDI students are engineers who like to create new things, are comfortable with problems that are hard to pin down, and care about culture and contemporary context. At EDI, we introduce you to design thinking, a process of user observation, visualization, rapid prototyping, and iteration. Learn more
EDI Impact
From design consultancy to healthcare to technology, EDI alumni are creating change across industries. As engineers who deeply understand design innovation, they are ready to make a difference upon graduation.
Design Thinking
Our unique curriculum has a laser focus on the integrated design process. You’ll blend analytical skills and creative thinking to develop whole-brain practical solutions for real problems.
Design Ecology
Our emphasis on team-based projects fosters interdisciplinary collaboration within the EDI program. As an EDI student, you’ll benefit from our strong ties to design innovators at Northwestern, in Chicago, and beyond.
In-demand alumni: life after EDI
Our faculty, advisers, alumni, and current students hail from some of the top companies in the United States. Learn more about the leaders and innovators affiliated with our program.
James WildeEDI Graduate, EDI Advisory Board Member
UX Researcher and Designer at DISH Network
EDI empowered me to shift my focus from physical product design into a broader view of the entire user experience. As a result, I'm a more well-rounded experience designer and am able to have more positive impact on our users.
Sally ParkEDI Graduate
Products Researcher at P&G Gillette
EDI taught me the crucial factor of designing a product: put people first and fulfill their needs. After EDI, I am confident that I have become an empathetic product designer.
Olivia ChingEDI Graduate
Packaging Product Design Engineer at Apple
I learned how to separate feelings of failure from the valuable lessons that failures teach. During my time in EDI, I developed the confidence and drive to welcome unexpected results and continue to grow as a person and designer.
Claire McCloskeyEDI Graduate
User Experience Designer at IBM
The EDI program was characterized by 15 months surrounded by the most talented, bright, driven, and inspiring individuals I have ever met. Solving countless problems with innovative solutions has provided my peers and I with the tools and strategies to live a successful personal and professional life.
Jonathan CrowEDI Graduate
Product Development Engineer at DiversiTech
The EDI program gave me the tools to reimagine the design process as an exploration of humans needs. Not only am I a better engineer, but I am now confident in my ability to change the world.
Stephen ArlingtonEDI Graduate
Service Designer at Booz Allen Hamilton
During my time in the EDI program, I was encouraged to explore, experiment, and build at the intersection of human-centered design, engineering, and business strategy. The people, methods, and tools I worked with cultivated my entrepreneurial spirit and aptitude for connecting disciplines to create better human experiences and services.
Kiley CoombeEDI Graduate
UX Design Researcher at Motorola Mobility
Being a part of EDI allowed me to try out different careers, like being a product designer or an interaction designer, to better understand what aspect of design I wanted to pursue.
Ellie PearlmanEDI Graduate
Student at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
I want to bring design straight to the hands of patients and clinicians in the world of healthcare in a dynamic way that these people deserve. EDI has given me the skill set and determination to unapologetically work towards this goal.
News from EDI
Evolving Undersea Exploration
Elijah Li’s EDI thesis project led to a new scuba mask that would increase safety, improve navigation, and enrich educational opportunities provided by the underwater world.
Making Music Creation Easier
Pablo Gupta identified a problem facing content creators and used artificial intelligence to help them make better content more efficiently.
Welcoming New Makers to the Corner Makery
Lucas Iezzi provided expertise without intimidation in an open-access makerspace on campus.
Housed within the
Segal Design Institute
We educate the creative explorers of the future, focusing on the interconnectedness of technology, humans, and the natural world. Our students turn ideas into reality, centering people in complex challenges that have societal impact.
Learn more about the Segal Design Institute
