Curriculum
The custom designed EDI curriculum focuses on an integrated design process that blends analytical skills, intuition, and creative thinking to develop practical solutions. The full-time and in-person program includes core courses open only to EDI students, elective courses of the student's choosing, and a three-unit thesis project. Several highly collaborative studio courses allow students to address the needs of real people through a design lens. The program begins with Camp EDI, a pre-term orientation workshop.
EDI Curriculum
| Quarter | Course 1 | Course 2 | Course 3 | Course 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Year 1 |
Human Centered Design Studio 1, Product Design | Design Research | Design Communication and Methods | Ethics and Identity in Design | |
| Winter Year 1 |
Human Centered Design Studio 2, Interaction Design | Human Centered Design Studio 3, Service Design | Differentiation by Design | Elective | |
| Spring Year 1 |
Product Management | Brand and Design Leadership | Elective | Elective | |
| Summer Year 1 |
Summer Internship | Summer Internship | Summer Internship | Summer Internship | |
| Fall Year 2 |
Design Strategy | Thesis Studio DSGN 499 | Elective | Elective | |
| Winter Year 2 |
Thesis Studio DSGN 499 | Thesis Studio DSGN 499 |
Core Courses
EDI core coursework provides students with a high-level understanding of the design process, research methodologies, and innovation strategy through team-based project work.
Guided by iterative prototyping and testing, students work in teams to define design problems and develop concepts for innovative products, interactions, services, and experiences.
All students begin the EDI program in the fall term. The curriculum includes core courses plus thesis:
- DSGN 401-1 Human-Centered Design Studio 1, Product Design (fall)
- DSGN 401-2 Human-Centered Design Studio 2, Interaction Design (winter)
- DSGN 401-3 Human-Centered Design Studio 3, Service Design (winter)
- DSGN 410-0 Design Research (fall)
- DSGN 420-1 Design Communications: Visual Design and Storytelling (fall)
- DSGN 430 Product Management (spring)
- DSGN 434 Ethics and Identity in Design (fall)
- DSGN 450-0 Differentiation by Design (winter)
- DSGN 455 Design Strategy (second fall)
- DSGN 474 Brand and Design Leadership (spring)
- DSGN 499 Thesis (second fall and second winter)
View Segal's course descriptions
Electives
EDI is part of The Graduate School (TGS) at Northwestern. All TGS students can take any electives approved by TGS. This long list of electives can be found in the TGS catalogue.
Summer Internship
During the summer between their third and fourth quarters, EDI students are encouraged to participate in a design-related internship. Internship opportunities vary and no student is guaranteed placement. For more information, contact Amy O'Keefe, Director of the EDI program, at edi@northwestern.edu or 847-467-4275.
Grade and Residency Requirements
EDI students must make satisfactory academic progress as defined by The Graduate School to qualify for degree completion. In addition, every credit unit counted towards the master’s degree must receive a grade of "C" or better. Students must complete all degree requirements within six quarters of study in order to qualify for the master’s degree.
Students who do not meet satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on academic probation for one quarter. If after one quarter, academic progress has not improved, students will be subject to exclusion from the degree.
