The M.A. in Design focused on Health program at The University of Texas at Austin focuses on person-centered design methodologies to innovate for the health care system of the future. In this program, you’ll apply strategic design thinking to understand the needs of people seeking health services, receiving care, and delivering care. You’ll engage in research and practice ideation techniques for generating new approaches to solving real-world health and wellness challenges. The coursework and mentorship from leading practitioners in the field will equip you with the knowledge to turn working prototypes into viable solutions and the skills to craft compelling stories that drive groundbreaking change across the healthcare industry.
Program Focus
Industry-Focused Cohort
The program attracts applicants from various backgrounds, along with UT Dell Medical students, who share an interest in using design thinking to devise solutions for real-world health and wellness challenges.
Leading-Edge Partners
Learn from healthcare and design leaders at innovative companies such as Ascension, Baylor Scott & White, AT&T, Dell Medical, and more who work with us as advisors, instructors, mentors, and guest speakers to provide invaluable student engagement opportunities.
Tier-One Research University
Apply primary and secondary research methods taught by leading experts in the field to gain a holistic understanding of the audience's needs and objectives for more impactful solutions.
Design-based Experiential Learning
Develop creative practices and critical thinking skills through collaborative project work with peers and industry partners for a career-ready portfolio.
Curriculum Overview
Starting in the summer, your first graduate courses for the Design focused on Health degree will give you preliminary instruction in studio-based design, design research methods, and prototyping. This foundational sequence equips you with the tools needed for field research, cutting-edge design in health courses, and the final Capstone project that ensues through the spring.
The fall semester will introduce you to advanced service design methodologies and practical approaches for addressing challenges specific to the healthcare industry. You’ll learn to take a holistic human-centered approach as you engage in fieldwork to uncover your audiences’ needs, develop user journeys, and interpret insights to drive change.
In your final semester, you’ll dive even deeper into concepts of health as well as healthcare systems with a focus on your final Capstone project. Working in a collaborative group, your team will devise a design-led plan for tackling a real-world client challenge. The ultimate objective is to prepare you with indispensable knowledge for integrating design-based solutions into the healthcare industry resulting in more human-centered services and value out in the world. The Capstone project culminates in a final presentation to clients, peers, and faculty–and a professional piece for your portfolio.
M.A. in Design focused on Health Courses
Introduction to Design Thinking
A preliminary foundation in the emerging practice of Human-Centered Design, the methodology driving design thinking. (3 credits)
3-D Prototyping
Using rapid prototyping methods with an emphasis on products and the built environment, this course prepares students to use prototyping as a means of testing ideas iteratively. (1 credit)
Sketching for Communication
Students learn the elements of sketching to visualize concepts, document their thinking, and quickly bring alignment to teams. (1 credit)
Eliciting and Inspiring Participant Data
This course grounds students in the tactics and techniques of several common primary research methodologies including contextual inquiry, intercept interviews, personal inventories, empathy modeling, and others. (1 credit)
Fieldwork in Design
Students conduct field work as part of a collaborative project team under the supervision of a faculty member. This course will emphasize the application of design research tools as a strategic practice within a complex project. (3 credits)
Service Design
Students are equipped to improve existing health care services, create new ones and navigate the complex social, political and organizational challenges to bring them to life. (3 credits)
Design in Health: Introduction To Collaboration
Building on the foundational design tools, this course layers the nuanced and complex considerations for designing in the health space, while digging deep in design practice and challenging legacy health notions. (3 credits)
Graphic Communication Tools
2-D visualization tools for print and screen. (2 credits)
Anthropology of Design*
This course exposes students to anthropological and ethnographic tools that can attune practitioners to difference (social and cultural) and its implications. (3 credits)
Health Care Law and Policy
This course considers some of the toughest problems in current health law and policy. (3 credits)
Final Project in Design
Student-led culmination and defense of learning. Each student will design and lead their own project with the guidance of a faculty member. (1 credit)
Design in Health Studio
In this capstone project course, student teams collaborate with clients, applying their design skills to immediate challenges in the health space. (6 credits)
Health Systems Design
Students will explore all aspects of complex health ecosystems, learning principles and methods to understand interconnection and design future systems that elicit new behaviors. (2 credits)
The Business of Design in Health*
This course equips students with acumen to navigate and succeed in the business aspects of applying and positioning design in health. (3 credits)
Storytelling for Presentation*
The frameworks for good storytelling applied to professional presentation and written work. (1 credit)
Core Laboratory 1 – Design Futures*
Students are introduced to the practical tools of strategic foresight to imagine possible futures. Emphasis is placed on understanding the language, theories, and methods of futures studies. (3 credits)
Final Project in Design
Student-led culmination and defense of learning. Each student will design and lead their own project with the guidance of a faculty member. (1 credit)
Note: Exact courses, sequencing, and credit hours are subject to change. Courses waived for Dell Medical School students are denoted with an asterisk.*
Navigating Your Courses
The M.A. in Design focused on Health curriculum is delivered over three semesters starting in early August and concluding in May. The M.A. in Design program is offered on a full-time, in-person basis only. Classes are typically scheduled Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
Degree Plan
M.A. Design Focused on Health
- 10 months of Study (Starting in Summer)
- 40 credit hours total over 3 Semesters
- 6 hours of design skills acquisition
- 18 hours of advanced coursework in design and health
- 16 hours of integrated design in health courses + capstone
Typical 10-month course schedule for M.A. in Design focused on Health | 40 Total Hours
| Summer | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
|
Full Term Sketching for Communication 3-D Prototyping Design Research Methods = 6 credit hours |
Full Term Anthropology and Design* Session 1 Fieldwork in Design Session 2 Service Design = 16 credit hours |
Full Term Session 1 Final Project in Design Core Lab - Design Futures* Session 2 Storytelling for Presentation* Health Care Law and Policy = 18 credit hours |
Note: Exact courses, sequencing, and credit hours are subject to change. Courses waived for Dell Medical School students are denoted with an asterisk.*
M.A. Design Student Handbook
Ready for a deeper dive into the M.A. in Design focused on Health program? Our student handbook covers curriculum and coursework, graduation requirements, policies, and more.