Directors' Message
The Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd²) program grew out of a passion for the subject. Walter Herbst spent his entire career building Herbst Lazar Bell, one of the largest privately held design and product development firms in the country. His newest venture is Herbst Produkt, specializing in leading edge design and white space strategy. Steve Carr has been on the Department of Material Sciences and Engineering faculty since 1970 and consults industry on matters dealing with materials processing, design, selection and performance.We recognize there are many others like us with a passion for product development. mpd² was conceived as there was no venue for fine-tuning product design and development skills that so many of our colleagues wanted for themselves and for their organizations. Thus the mpd² program was born in 2003 at the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, as the first program teaching this subject matter.
With our backgrounds in academia and industry, and supported by an outstanding corporate and alumni advisory board, we have developed an academic program in product design and development that is now recognized as one of the top 30 in the world. The program has many unique features:
- A curriculum focused on leadership in product design and development
- A remarkable faculty composed of experienced senior professionals and academics
- A convenient two-year part-time program, or nine-month full-time program
- A hands-on, team-based approach to learning that draws on students' diverse professional and personal backgrounds
- A lifetime learning experience that allows graduates to audit classes for the rest of their lives
- We’re excited about what has become the premier master’s program in the country for product design and development. If you want to become a leader in product development, the mpd² program will give you the tools, expertise, and confidence to achieve your goals.
Sincerely,
Walter B. Herbst, PhD, FNAI
Director, mpd²
Stephen H. Carr, PhD, PE
Co-Director, mpd²