Design for Interaction Master Program
The international Joint Master of Science programme in Design for Interaction (DfI – int) is going to be the first double degree programme offered by the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) of Delft University of Technology (DUT) and the Middle East Technical University (METU) Department of Industrial Design (ID).
A double degree programme is a programme offered by two universities who both recognize the entire curriculum. Education will partly be offered at one and partly at the other university. Both universities will reward graduates of the programme with a diploma. The programme will not take longer than a regular master programme.
The DfI-int MSc degree programme is offered within the context of a wider cooperation between METU and DUT. The DfI-int programme is one of a range of double degree programmes set up between different faculties/departments of both universities. The cooperation is backed up and stimulated by the Dutch and Turkish governments.
Benefits
• Obtain a master of science degree recognised by two top universities
• Study partly in Turkey, partly in the Netherlands
• Benefit from the combined strengths of two Industrial Design programmes
• Be part of an international group of excellent students
• Start working on your METU and DUT supervised graduation research from your 1st year
• Be one of the pioneers in METU and DUT’s double degree programmes
Program Structure
METU and DUT have agreed upon a model for all METU-DUT double degree programmes. The joint programme will kick off with a summer workshop in Turkey. During the first semester of the programme, all participants will live and study in Ankara. For the second and third semesters they will come to Delft for one year. The final semester is entirely devoted to graduation research. Although the student will be enrolled in METU for the final semester, the student can either stay in Ankara or in Delft in consultation with the supervisors, depending on the research necessities.
Program Content
One of the main strengths of the METU ID curriculum is its focus on research and high attention given to the master thesis. A strong and complementing aspect of DUT IDE is its practice oriented approach and vast size, which makes research in many areas possible. The DfI-int programme combines these two strengths into a research-focused programme with strong ties to practical application of knowledge.
During the summer workshop students will be prepared for the curriculum at hand and get to know their fellow students, METU, and Turkey’s capital and 4 million city Ankara. International students will be assisted in finding housing on the METU campus.
The first semester at METU will focus on research methods, theory and practice. During this semester students will start to think about their research topic, which will be a main theme through their entire programme. The current METU master programme is dealing with topics in user-centred design research ranging from empirical studies to literature-based theoretical studies. At the end of the semester they will be assigned to a METU staff member, who will be one of their research supervisors.
The second semester of the programme, starting in February, will take place in Delft. Students of the programme will take most of their courses together with the regular DfI students, but the courses Observational Research and Visual Communication Design will be replaced by the 6 ECTS Research Project course. Students will learn about the relevant research programmes at DUT in the areas of design techniques, social and contextual interaction design, design for experience, and user-centred design programmes. During this semester all DfI-int students will make a final choice for their graduation topic and are assigned to a second, DUT research supervisor.
The third semester has more or less the same structure as the second and will also take place in Delft. Students will follow the fall semester courses of the DfI students and continue working on their thesis. During this semester students have to come up with a final and specified graduation topic and research plan.
The fourth and final semester is entirely devoted to the graduation project for which the student has been preparing during the three preceding semesters. The project will be set in a design research context or by a research through design approach. In both cases the research question(s) will form the basis of the research and of a possible product design as a way to answer these questions where the outcome is expected to be in the form of a formal thesis.
Application
The number of available places in the DfI-int programme is limited; interested students have to successfully pass a careful selection process before they can participate. Applicants can enter the selection process by submitting a number of required documents including a portfolio, letter of intention (brief essay describing motivation), reference letters, transcript of records and proof of English language ability. After evaluation of these documents, candidates can be invited for an interview. On the basis of the application files and interviews a final selection will be made.
Application deadline is April 29, 2010. First, come and join us for the lunch meeting (with free Turkish lunch) on December 15, 2009 at 12:45 in Emile Truijen Room!
Profile
Graduates will be specialized in research in the field of human centred product development. In addition to this they will be prepared for an international career since they will have gained experience in living and studying in both a European and a Middle Eastern country and in cooperating in international teams. They will have a degree from two top universities and will be part of a carefully selected group of excellent students.
More information
More information on this program, its structure, courses, staff and admission requirements, can be found here.
