Master of Arts in Design for Social Impact

Do you want to contribute to societal change? Do you see issues around you that you think could be improved or solved? Are you creative and entrepreneurial? Are you looking to work with like-minded people? Paris College of Art joins forces with MakeSense in this one-year Master’s program (MA) in Design for Social Impact that equips citizen designers with the practical know-how (design thinking methods, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills) to successfully lead design projects that will bring positive societal changes. The guiding question for this program is:

How can design change the world?

Each academic year students will work with faculty and partner organizations to answer this question on a specific theme – for the 2017-2018 academic year the theme is SHELTER (REFUGE in French). Students will research and design solutions to issues related to temporary or permanent shelter, whether it be a built shelter, a sanctuary, or a condition of increased safety and comfort. In a time of mass migrations, increasing pollution, lasting homelessness, youth unemployment and an aging population, students develop SHELTERS that make a difference.Examples of student projects previously incubated at MakeSense include services to the homeless, products that protect from air pollution or programs that encourage physical activity in senior citizens to decrease the risk of injury and associated health costs. In the first semester students will work with a social entrepreneur in an on-going effort to apply the skills they learn, and in the second semester, they will develop their own individual project that can be submitted for funding to different competitions and agencies. This coming academic year we will also be collaborating with PUBLIC Journal, which is focused on and committed to the expansion of the Public Interest Design (PID) movement. The MA in Design for Social Impact draws from the expertise of international faculty members in the fields of design for social impact and development, and the network of the MakeSense community of social entrepreneurs.

About MakeSense

MakeSense is an international organization bringing together 2,000 social entrepreneurs with 30,000 volunteers from over 100 cities in 70 countries. By putting together volunteers’ skills and ideas, MakeSense’s aim is to help social entrepreneurs create and develop their businesses and solve the most pressing issues faced by society in such areas as education, health, environment, food, etc. SenseCampus is the educational arm of MakeSense, offering dedicated pedagogical programs to get students to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals defined by the UN. Founded in 2012, it counts over 4,000 alumni and 20 academic partners, including the highest ranked business schools in France.

MA Curriculum

MA One-Year Program

• Design Studio I & II
• Research & Methodology
• Social Entrepreneurship Project
• Design Thinking
• Personal Leadership Skills Development

Masters Electives

• Design Studio I & II
• Social and Urban Governance
• Final Individual Project
• Professional Practice Workshop Series
• Designer's Social and Ethical Responsibility
• Master's Thesis
• Masters Electives

Elective Offerings

• French
• Still Life Photography
• Concept Development: Storytelling
• French
• Intellectual Property Rights