The MFA in Design prepares students with an emphasis in Product Design include courses; labs and opportunities for entrepreneurship, research and industry collaborations. Using ecological and human-centered design principles, we are dedicated to solving some of the world’s largest environmental and social problems. We offer courses in sustainable design, human-centered design, industrial design, furniture design, wearable technology, lighting design, materials and methods, digital design and prototyping. Our prototyping lab has 3D printers, laser cutters, and an electronics bench — the tools you need to bring a concept to life. Our staffed woodshop is fully equipped to build out ideas at the human-scale and beyond.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Our MFA graduate students and faculty engage in collaborative research projects and competitions. Projects have been recognized and exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally such as the San Francisco Autodesk Technology Center Residency, Solar Decathlon, Big Ideas Competition, Big Bang Competition, SOFA Connect, ISEA, NSF, CITRIS and the Bay Area Resilience by Design Competition. Cross department collaborative research opportunities and the proximity to the product design community in the Bay Area and Sacramento is a marked strength to our location.
The UC Davis Product Design Lab provides a space for product and service design innovation and experimentation. Students will have access to prototyping equipment and fabrication facilities that will be expanding in the years to come to empower students to transform ideas into buildable objects. Graduate students and undergraduate students have participated in collaborative research projects and national competitions outside the studio that have been exhibited and recognized nationwide such as the Solar Decathlon, Big Ideas Competition, Big Bang Competition, SOFA Connect, ISEA, and Bay Area Resilience by Design Competition.
