Stanford’s Design Program FAQ’s Revised 07. 28. 2014
NOTE: This FAQ’s applies to students who have a Bachelor of Science degree in math, science, engineering or some other technical or scientific field and are applying to the MS-‐side of the Design Program. Other students should consult the Art Department’s website for details on the MFA application to the program.
Application Details:
Q: What is the application deadline for the Design Program?
A: The 2014 application deadline is Dec. 2, 2014. An application is considered complete when all required university application materials and the portfolio/case study book are received by this date.
Q: To whom do I direct my questions to about the online application system and the specifics of the various pieces of information requested as a part of the application process?
A: The ME Student Services group handles the collection of the application materials (with the exception of the digital portfolio/case study book required), for the various programs within Mechanical Engineering, including the Stanford Design Program. Please contact Brittany Voelker in the office directly (650-‐724-‐7660 or [email protected]) with any questions or problems you might have regarding the Stanford online
application system or the various pieces of information required as a part of that process.
As for the portfolio/casebook submittal, please check back mid-‐August 2014 at our website to see the updated on the digital application process. Any questions on the portfolio/case study book may be directed to the Design Program admin, Renée Chao directly. (650-‐723-‐5436 or [email protected])
Q: When can I apply to the program? Why do I need “at least a year” of life experience? A: It's important to note that we require students to have completed at least one year of life experience after receiving their undergraduate degree before applying to the
program. That means that, at a minimum, you will have one year plus 9 months
(December application) of professional or life experience before you start the Program in September. For your information, the most competitive applications come from
candidates whose average time since their undergraduate experience is about 3-‐4 years. There are two reasons for this requirement:
1) Our program is very self-‐directed and students need to have sufficient life-‐
experience to be successful. You have to know yourself and your interests. And you will be put in leadership positions in a variety of your classes – it is a requirement that you have had some previous experience leading teams before you arrive at Stanford.
2) The Loft is a learning community where students teach each other and so we expect you to teach what you know to your peers. In order for the Loft to “work” we rely on mature graduate students who are self confident enough to teach and learn from each other.
Please don’t ask – we never waive this rule.
Q: I want to apply to the “d.school” – how do I do that?
A: This is a pretty common confusion and the answer is – “You can’t apply to the d.school. The d.school, actually the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, is an Institute for teaching and research. It isn’t actually a “School” at all. If you want to get a degree in design from Stanford you apply to the Design Program, either through the Mechanical Engineering department or the Art Department. Once you are admitted you can take d.school classes along with your other curriculum.
All graduate students from any of the seven Schools at Stanford (Business, Medical, Law, Education...etc.) can take classes at the d.school. It is where we teach everyone about design thinking.
Q: I’ve heard about Stanford’s Design Program, sometimes called the Product Design Program or the Joint Program in Design and I’m interested in learning more about the program?
A: Thank you for your interest in the Design Program at Stanford. To get to this FAQ you must have already found our website at http://www-‐design.stanford.edu/PD/. That is great because we use this website exclusively to relay information about the program to prospective students.
Also, you can get more information about the ME Department where the Design major is housed by reading over the Mechanical Engineering Design Division site at
http://me.stanford.edu/groups/design/
Additional useful information can be found at the main Stanford Graduate School site at http://facts.stanford.edu/academics/graduate. These websites will answer most of your questions about graduate student life at Stanford and how apply on-‐line. And please read through the rest of this FAQ before you email us.
Q: OK I’ve read all that stuff, now what?
A: After reading all of our web materials, the best way to find out if our program is right for you is to visit the campus for a Design Program Information Session specifically designed for prospective Design students. These sessions are offered in the fall quarter (usually during the month of October) and offer the opportunity to meet professors in the program and visit with the current graduate students in their design space known as the "Loft." Information regarding the dates of these sessions and how to RSVP are available on the website in mid-‐August prior to each fall quarter. We strongly
recommend that students interested in applying plan to attend one of these sessions prior to applying to the program.
Q: Can you please send me a brochure or other information about Stanford’s Design Program?
A: We do not make any or send out printed information about our program. However, we update our website from time to time with new information and you can find out everything you might want to know about the Design Program specifics by doing your research there. Stanford also has an extensive array of informational websites that are worth looking through for background.
Q: How much does it cost to attend the Design Program?
A: The cost of attending any program at Stanford is determined annually by the University. You can find more information about tuition, housing, and other costs for undergraduate and graduate study at the following websites:
The University Registrars Office: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar Graduate Admissions: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/gradadmissions
Tuition and Fees: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/tuition-‐fees_14-‐15 Q: Is financial aid (fellowships /teaching assistantships) available for students pursuing MS in product design?
A: There are a limited number of fellowships offered to incoming MS students based on solely on your academic record. Refer to the ME website for more information. The MS Design Program has no design-‐specific fellowships. However, we have a large number of classroom assistantships and all design graduate students who wish to can serve as classroom assistants in their second year. This position typically pays for half of the quarter’s tuition and comes with a small stipend that helps pay for part of your education. Other details about financial aid for graduate students are available at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/finaid/grad/aid/ .
Q: Do you have a GPA and/or GRE requirement for admissions?
A: Stanford is a highly selective university and we expect that all graduate students will be able to demonstrate academic excellence prior to admission. Therefore, as a practical matter, our students typically score in the upper 90% on standards tests. However, we do not have a specific GRE/GPA requirement for admission and the admissions
committee considers your overall academic preparedness (previous degree(s), undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, etc.), portfolio, recommendations, statement of purpose, and life experiences holistically during the admissions process.
Q: Do you have a TOEFL Score requirement for admissions?
A: Our program requirements for TOEFL scores match that of the university. These requirements can be found at the following link (please see chart and lookup the Master’s Programs: School of Engineering scores):
https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/gradadmissions/applying/exams Q: How much design experience do I need before applying?
A: The short answer is “none”. You need at least a year of life experience before you apply. That said, we're looking for a balance of design potential and design experience in incoming students. No specific design experience or employment is required. The application process uses the statement of purpose, portfolio, academic preparation, recommendations, and life experience prior to applying to develop a holistic sense of the candidate and their potential for admission to our Program.
And remember, you don’t need Stanford’s permission to be a designer. Start being curious, start designing stuff, start solving problems, and document what you do along the way. The best design candidates can’t help themselves, they are always trying to improve and change the world around them. And if you want to change something, you have to design. Show us what you care about through what you choose to work on. One of our favorite professors used to say, “Use design to design.” We still agree.
Q: How important is the Statement of Purpose?
A: It is as important as your portfolio. Everyone on the admissions committee reads it before we view the portfolio/case study books. A strong, clear Statement sets up the portfolio review, and it is a critical element in the admissions process.
Q: Why do I have to submit a portfolio/case study book? What should it contain? A: The Design Program is not a program that focuses on teaching skills. There are
almost now skill-‐training classes in our curriculum at all. We are a masters-‐level program that teaches design thinking, creativity methodology, a human centered-‐ethnographic approach to design, strategic innovation, and design leadership. Therefore, students who enter the program should have already mastered design skills such as quick idea
sketching, product rendering, prototype building, and visualization techniques like storyboarding and video production. The portfolio/case study book is intended to help us assess the development of these skills and your underlying visual and creative abilities.
Think of the portfolio/case study book as your vehicle to demonstrate who you are and how you think. Your portfolio/case study book is, unfortunately, our only window into your creativity and leadership. It is a personal effort so it shows us what kinds of design problems are important to you. Do not include too many student or professional
projects – these were assigned projects and may not be representative of your passions. Given this, each portfolio/case study book is expected to be unique. We are looking for breadth as well as depth.
Your portfolio/case study book should demonstrate your talents, skills, and imaginative capacities. It should let us in behind-‐the-‐scenes on your design process and how you solve problems. And, given the change in the focus of our curriculum toward more design thinking, strategic innovation, and design leadership; a simple portfolio
traditionally a collection of your finished work may not be the best way to present your strategic and leadership skills. We want to make sure that emerging design thinkers and developing leaders have the best opportunity to show us why they should be considered for our program. So, in addition to examples of your design work, consider including a few case studies in this “hybrid” portfolio. Case studies are a great way to explain your creative process and can include all the “messy prototypes” and “important failures” that just don’t fit in the portfolio format. Case studies are also one good way to show us non-‐design projects that emphasize your leadership skills and your strategic thinking.
What do we mean by case study? In this usage it is typically a one or two page
description of a project. It should include some explanation of the original problem and lots of visual information about your design process. We are not looking for a lot of writing. As designers, we prefer case studies that are more like storyboards, not like research papers, but some writing may be necessary to frame the story for the reviewers.
Of course, you are going to ask, “How many pieces of work should be in my
portfolio/case study book?” and we are going to answer, “It’s hard to say”. In general, six to eight examples, each illustrating different aspects of your work and your thinking, should be more than enough. However, you may have completed one or two very large and comprehensive projects that demonstrate a variety of your skills and want to focus on these. In that case, two (or even one) projects might be sufficient. These are likely to be multi-‐page; multi-‐topic studies so their organization and clarity becomes even more important.
Think of the portfolio/case study book as your vehicle to demonstrate who you are and how you think. Given this, each portfolio is expected to be unique. However, please do
not provide too large a portfolio, with repetitive examples of the same media, process, or end product. We are looking for breadth as well as depth and one way we judge the quality of your presentation is by how well you edit.
Your portfolio/case study book should be about your design process and how you apply design thinking in what you do. It should demonstrate your ability to visualize things, in 2D and 3D. It should show us how you develop new and innovative solutions. These solutions can be in almost any area but we are particularly interested in new products, services, environments, information, and strategies. The portfolio/case study book should have an example or two of completely finished pieces of artwork/craftwork (2D and/or 3D).
Most importantly, your portfolio should be full of things that you are passionate about. It should express your independent take on the subjects that you think are important. To this end, projects completed for work or for school assignments are interesting, but not sufficient. We are most interested in assignments that you give yourself – these are the best indicator of who you are and what you value. They embody your personal creativity in ways that no work or school project can.
Q: I’m an engineer or scientist and not yet a designer so I do not have a body of work to make up a portfolio or case study book. Are their classes I should take to build up my portfolio before I apply to the Design Program?
A: Let me repeat myself, “...You don’t need anyone’s permission to be a designer. However, if you are the kind of person who learns best in a structured environment, feel free to take any courses that will help you develop your design, ethnography, leadership and visualization skills. You might look for classes that fall into the following rough categories:
1. Classes in leadership or entrepreneurship – These might include courses covering business plan writing, strategic thinking or classes that involve you in team-‐based
project work where you can hone your leadership skills and come away with evidence of success.
2. Classes in anthropology, ethnography, user-‐research or marketing.
3. Sketching/drawing/animation/filmmaking – As we design, we primarily use sketching and storytelling as a way to communicate our ideas to ourselves, to other designers, and to people we're designing for. Any class that helps you get confident in your ability to get your ideas down on paper is great. Look for classes that cover things like quick sketching, storyboarding, animation, filmmaking, etc.
4. Other visual arts courses -‐ Painting, sculpture, furniture making, design, are examples of courses that would help demonstrate your mastery of two and three-‐ dimensional
ideation. Follow your own interests here. We are looking to assess your skills in areas that interest you, not us. We assume that you will create a body of work for your portfolio that you are passionate about.
Q: I do not have any formal art or design training but I do have experience in designing products. Can I apply for the program?
A: Your experience designing products could be considered an appropriate background. An appropriate engineering, math or science undergraduate degree is required for application to the MS side of the Program. However, we value experience in design and that is why we require applicants to submit a portfolio of their prior work. It is important to note that we require students to have at least one year of life experience (work, travel, etc.) after their Bachelors degree before applying. The average applicant has four years of experience before applying.
Q: Can I get transfer credit for graduate level classes taken elsewhere?
A: Yes, it is possible and likely that you can transfer units from another university. Once you are admitted, you will want to get your proposed courses pre-‐approved by
Stanford's transfer credit office. To start this process, go to the Old Union general information window on the first floor and ask for a transfer credit pre-‐approval form. With this form, you will want to describe the courses that you plan to take. It is especially helpful for the transfer credit office if you pair the proposed course with a similar course at Stanford. After you submit this form, you will be contacted by someone in that office who will help you through the approval process. If the courses are
approved, you should be able to use the courses to fulfill the appropriate Masters degree requirement.
Q: Does Stanford have a PhD option in Product Design? I would like to apply for this if possible.
A: We are happy to announce that we will be starting a PhD program in product design in the 2015-‐2016 academic year. The process for admission is the same as the Masters program – students must first be admitted to and complete their Masters in Design at Stanford to be considered for the PhD program. Please indicate your interest in this program when you complete your on-‐line application.
Q: I do not have an undergraduate engineering degree and I want to apply to the MS program. Is this possible and, if so, what engineering courses do I need to take prior to admission?
A: No, it is not possible to apply to the Master of Science side of Design Program without a BS degree. In order to be considered you must have a Bachelor of Science degree in math, science, engineering or some other technical or scientific field.
Q: I want to do other graduate study. Is there a Design minor available at the Masters level?
A: No.
Q: Do you accept exchange students?
A: The Stanford Design program does not have any exchange programs or visiting student programs at this time.
