The Master of Product Design & Development Management (mpd²) program is designed for professionals who want to master the concepts and tools of product design and development. You will develop expertise in product strategy, user-centered design, agile methodologies, and cross-functional leadership, while gaining knowledge in intellectual property, business modeling, marketing, AI tools, and financial acumen to drive innovative products to market. The highly-focused curriculum, taught by senior faculty from academic and business, is designed to assure our graduates a pathway to senior leadership.
The basics at-a-glance
Degree earned: Master of Science in Product Design and Development Management
Round 1 - March 15: Recommended deadline for full-time applicants
Round 2 - June 15: Recommended deadline for international applicants who will require a visa or visa status update to enroll
Round 3 - August 1: Final deadline, recommended for part-time applicants
MPD2 follows Northwestern's 10-week quarter system. New student begin classes in September of the fall quarter, with breaks in December, March, and the summer months, meeting on Fridays and Saturdays. Friday classes begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:30 p.m. Saturday classes begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. Each day consists of two classes, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
Northwestern University’s Evanston campus
Easy access to Chicago’s leading tech and business community
I bring everything from my time in the program to my day job. From frameworks for innovation management to building good business cases, all of it sits with me to this day.
I kept running into hard requirements nobody could explain, and specs written years before I touched a project. The mpd² program was a chance to be at the front of what gets built.
My primary reason to join the mpd2 program was I want to be able to get the skill set, the experience, and the knowledge to become a product manager.
Since joining the program, I’ve been used more on the strategic side, helping clients understand their business needs and goals.
What appealed to me about mpd² was that it offered a truly well-rounded product education—human-centered design, creative problem solving, and the business rigor needed to actually build and scale a product.
A professor would say something in a class, and suddenly I’d understand something I’d been pondering at work. Or someone at work would bring up a topic, and I could share a piece of relevant learning from a recent class. I found it really rewarding.
Unique Program Features
Our faculty, alumni, and current students come from some of the most innovative companies in the world. Learn more about the mpd² community and how we master big picture business and leadership skills through our hands-on, team-based learning approach.
Housed within the
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
