Design PhD Curriculum

The Design focus area enables students to work on cutting-edge projects that span virtual and physical environments, ultimately aiming to create sustainable, efficient, and inclusive engineering solutions. Students engage in advanced research on design methodologies, including the integration of computational tools, human-centered design principles, and sustainable practices. Coursework and research encompass a wide range of topics, including optimizing design processes, improving product functionality, assessing the societal impacts of engineered solutions, and exploring methods for design education. In this focus area, students gain the skills to collaboratively tackle complex design challenges by integrating interdisciplinary knowledge and advanced problem-solving techniques.

Course Guidance

In addition to PhD requirements, no specific course is required for the PhD design focus area. Design is a highly interdisciplinary and diverse field of study. While the following course list may not be exhaustive, it is intended to provide useful guidance.

MCEN courses relevant to PhD students in design:

  • MCEN 5055 Advanced Product Design
  • MCEN 5045 Design for Manufacturability
  • MCEN 5125 Optimal Design
  • MCEN 5279 Aesthetics in Design
  • MCEN 5228 Design for Inclusion
  • MCEN 5228 Design of Chocolate
  • MCEN 5193 Design of Coffee
  • MCEN 5173 Finite Element Analysis
  • MCEN 5065 Graduate Design I
  • MCEN 5075 Graduate Design II
  • MCEN 5195 Bioinspired Robotics
  • MCEN 5115 Mechatronics and Robotics I
  • MCEN 5135 Wind Energy and Wind Turbine Design
  • MCEN 5155 Automated Mechanical Design Synthesis
  • *Coming Spring 2025: Design Research Theory & Methods

Potentially relevant courses from other departments:​

  • Aerospace Engineering
    • ASEN 5264 Decision Making Under Uncertainty
    • ASEN 5158 Space Habitat Design
  • Anthropology
    • ANTH 5745 Science, Technology and Society 
  • ATLAS Institute
    • ATLS 5410 Creative Technologies
    • ATLS 5250 Fieldwork Methods (Technology for Social Impact)
    • ATLS 5605 Critical Technology Practice
    • ATLS 5620 User Experience Design 1
    • ATLS 5720 User Experience Design 2
    • ATLS 5130 Experimental Typography
    • ATLS 5244 Empathy and Technology
    • ATLS 5402 Research Methods in Human-Robot Interaction
    • ATLS 5640 Design Thinking
  • Civil Engineering
    • CVEN 5157 A Systems Approach to Global Engineering
    • CVEN 5276 Engineering Risk and Decision Analysis
    • CVEN 5919 Global Development for Engineers
    • CVEN 5837 Special Topics: Study Design and Impact Evaluation
    • CVEN 5837 Special Topics: Solution Identification and Proposal Development
  • Computer Science
    • CSCI 6402 Issues and Methods in Cognitive Science
  • Education
    • EDUC 5150 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
  • Engineering Education
    • ENED 5100/5200 Foundations of Engineering Education 1 & 2
    • ENED 5400 Teaching Design
  • Engineering Management
    • EMEN 5220 Product Design for the Circular Economy 
    • EMEN 5400 Technical Product Development
    • EMEN 5405 Fundamentals of Systems Engineering
    • EMEN 5415 Systems Requirements, Verification and Validation Fundamentals
  • Environmental Engineering
    • EVEN 5584 Sustainable Engineering Design
  • Information Science
    • INFO 5505 Designing for Creative Learning
    • INFO 5603 Survey Research Design
    • INFO 5604 Applied Machine Learning
    • INFO 5605 Ethnographic Research in Applied Settings
    • INFO 5606 Critical Technical Practice
    • INFO 5608 Community-Based Design
    • INFO 5609 User-Centered Design
    • INFO 5620 Race and Technology
    • INFO 6401 Information and Ideas in Design Disciplines


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