Master's Program in Design Management

The master's program recognizes and welcomes students from a range of backgrounds in design, management, and theoretical fields.

Designers of all disciplines (Graphic Design, Product Design, and Interior Design), architects, professionals from Business and Management areas, Marketing, and Communication are welcome to join the program.

IED Barcelona structures the program in a flexible way to attract students with different specialties and from various backgrounds. This creates a multidisciplinary environment for the students during the course, for the development of a complete vision through design management.

At IED Barcelona Design Management is taught by a faculty body of practitioners from Design & Business, through the immersion and practice of different innovation and strategic methodologies, analysis of case studies, and the execution of a real-industry project commissioned either by multinational companies competing in the global economy, or local companies competing in the international markets. This approach facilitates the training in decision-making, placing the students in a real context for innovation and experimentation.

Following the learning-by-doing methodology, students are constantly developing relevant projects in teams. The learnings and competencies achieved will be applied to the transversal real-industry project alongside the program. The Design Management Master students are hosted in a dedicated classroom, a space that is transformed into an innovative design studio where students experiment with new tools and knowledge, with the guidance of the faculty. Small groups of students in the class facilitate the application of this hands-on methodology.

Design managers most likely won’t need to design in detail themselves, but they must be able to communicate very clearly their concepts, either to the business staff or to the design team to achieve the desired results. Therefore the students are taught a very diverse set of tools, to train their skills to a level where they can communicate well and lose the fear to discuss at sketch level or through a video.

To create synergies between future professionals, some transversal activities are held for exchanging knowledge with students of different programs. This is also part of the IED philosophy.

Personal Research Project

The Personal Research Project is the single most important piece of written work that students undertake during their RSP Research Study Program. PRP is the culmination Master's and should demonstrate that the student has acquired skills, knowledge, and analytical capabilities.

The project is an original piece of research involving primary data collection that aims to undertake individual work that meets the requirements outlined in these guidelines to achieve a passing grade.

The objectives of the thesis process are the following:

• To identify a feasible project in the student’s area of study.
• To establish clearly defined objectives and/or questions to be investigated.
• To design and implement an appropriate (design research/process) methodology.
• To understand the adding value proposition (concept).
• To create a business development plan based on the previous concept.
• To create feasible and concrete design proposals.
• To demonstrate analytical skills and produce valid findings.
• To apply theory to practical reality.
• To draw appropriate conclusions and recommendations where necessary.
• To produce a well-organized and well-written final document and an effective oral presentation of the thesis.

Internship

After finishing classes and presenting the two real industries projects, students have the opportunity to implement and prove all the knowledge acquired and skills developed in a three-month internship.

In the same period, students are working on their PRP so that they can choose to focus their investigation on a personal project or to connect it with the internship.

This intensive program aims to provide students with the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge tools and experience to become Design Management professionals.

• Enable Design, Marketing, Engineering, and Business Management professionals to overcome disciplinary boundaries to grow into key drivers of organizational success.
• Develop into leaders capable of combining creativity, managerial skills, and entrepreneurial mindsets within the constraints of Business realities.
• Assist Designers and non-designers in understanding how design management can contribute to the creation of sustainable value within the Business environment.
• Help Designers become Design Managers, Design Managers become Design Leaders and Design Leaders become innovation leaders of the future.
• Provide students with Design and Business Management tools that will enable them to become powerful key contributors in the Value Creation Chain, within the corporate environment, or as independent professionals.
• Develop proficiency in using the tools provided. Students will be able to identify the appropriate use of these tools to balance academic and practical knowledge, efficiency in communication, and ability to evaluate necessary trade-offs when faced with real business challenges.
• Expand the student’s roles and capabilities in working with innovation teams.
• Encourage critical thinking to allow students to be active citizens of our global society

Students who take this course add value to their professional experience in both business companies, design studios, and strategy firms, practicing design management in positions such as design department managers, brand managers, design directors, innovation directors, service designers, and design strategists. Also work as managers and executives responsible for making decisions about how design is used in the organization, in companies, design and innovation agencies, but also in education and government agencies.

Design managers deal with managing teams that might include industrial design, graphic design, service design, environment design, brand identity, fashion design, interface design, interior design, experience design, architecture, and engineering.

Field Trips

To give students a wider understanding of the market state-of-the-art, 2 field trips are scheduled in the course curriculum. With the guidance of professors and coordination, students explore different markets and professional contexts in Europe.

Each Field Trip will take students for 3 to 5 days to European cities to exchange knowledge in different environments. After those days devoted to academic activities, students have the opportunity to discover the city on their own.