The MFA in Design with an emphasis in Interaction Design prepares students to integrate digital and physical media practices with academic research, experimentation and skill. Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged, including research and practice in the arts and humanities; computer science and data science; electrical and mechanical engineering; and social sciences, among other disciplines. The program rigorously considers technology both as a medium to expand creative possibilities for interaction and as a phenomenon that invites critical discourse about the role of technological change in culture. Students are encouraged to explore diverse subject matters; and to create interactive objects and spaces, installations, and social interventions.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In addition to required graduate core courses in Design, students interested in this area can pursue courses (including independent and group studies) in data representation, human-computer interaction (HCI), interactive objects, large-scale installations, machine learning, network-based design, public art, UI/UX, wearable technologies, and design for social change. Additionally, students are encouraged to take courses outside the department in Cinema and Digital Media, Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, and Science and Technology, and participate in industry internships.
Core courses (taken with cohort):
Collaborative studio
Theories of Design
Studio practice & critique (with first- and second-year cohorts)
PSC 012Y, Data Visualization in the Social Sciences
PSC 100, Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
PSC 107, Questionnaire & Survey Research Methods
PSC 130, Human Learning & Memory
PSC 131, Perception
INFRASTRUCTURE
The Department of Design includes a comprehensive series of computer studios, prototyping labs with laser cutters and 3d printers and electronics labs to assist and support graduate research and design studies. See MFA handbook for a list of additional maker spaces on the UC Davis campus belonging to other departments.
