Skip to Content

Courses

Print or email this page: Print this page Email a Friend

 

Master of Design (Design Anthropology)

DMDA30  073083K



Duration

 Campus and Intake Show intake calendar

Fee*
18 Month/s Prahran (Semester 1) A$22,500 (annual for 2012) 
*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

Less than 20 years old, design anthropology represents the synthesis of academic anthropology with the professional practice of design. It seeks to understand how the processes and artefacts of design help define what it means to be human – how design translates human values into tangible experiences.
 
The program is to be offered at Prahran campus, with some specialisation units offered at the Hawthorn campus.
 
(International students are required to study full-time and on campus and cannot undertake the other study modes.)

Back to Top


The purpose of the Master of Design (Design Anthropology) program is threefold:
 
(1) to provide design and social science undergraduate students direct pathways into the highly professionalised design anthropology field at the master level, which is the minimal degree requirement for placement in the field;
 
(2) to offer current untrained or under-trained ‘design anthropologist’ and ‘anthrodesigner’ professionals (e.g. user experience designers and researchers, branding and consumer insights specialists, social and product innovation consultants) a degree that systematically credentials the design and anthropological theory and skills necessary for recognition and advancement in those professions;
 
(3) to lay the intellectual and practical foundation for research pathways into the Swinburne Faculty of Design’s PhD program as related to the activities of CIKADA, the Faculty of Design’s Indigenous Knowledge and Design Anthropology research group.

Back to Top


Students are required to complete 150 credit points, normally undertaken full-time*, studying 50 credit points per semester. A full-time weekly workload includes 12 hours of contact time and expects a minimum of another 24 hours study time.
 
The master program consists of two compulsory units (one unit of 12.5 credit points in Research Methods and one of 25 credit points in Design Studio) of core study; followed by five discipline units (five times 12.5 credit points) of design anthropology. Students also select a specialisation of four units (four times 12.5 credit points) to complete their degree.
 
The master program allows both international and domestic students to take advantage of the on-site, full-time learning, complemented with some online offerings. Whilst it is rare for master students to exit before completing the qualification, this program incorporates a Graduate Diploma exit point, usually after 100 credit points have been completed and subject to approval by the program coordinator.
 
Full-time master students will study the two core and the first two discipline units on campus. Part-time* master students study these units online with the option of on-campus study subject to maximum enrolment restrictions per unit and approval from the program coordinator.
 
*International students are required to study full-time and on campus and cannot undertake the other study modes.

Back to Top


All units are 12.5 credit points unless otherwise noted. The majority of units are offered at the Prahran campus, however some specialisation units are offered at Hawthorn.
 
Year 1
 
Semester 1
 
Semester 2
 
Plus
two units from a selected specialisation
Indigenous Knowledge
Cross Cultural Communication Design
Sustainable Design
 
Year 2
 
Semester 3
 
Plus
the remaining two units from the selected specialisation
Indigenous Knowledge
Cross Cultural Communication Design
Sustainable Design

Back to Top


Employment may be found in areas such as marketing, user experience designers and researchers, branding and consumer insight specialists, social and product innovation consultants.
 
Further research in this field may also be undertaken.

Back to Top


Graduates of university degree courses would have sufficient points to be eligible for associate membership of the Design Institute of Australia on graduation.

Back to Top


Swinburne College English for Academic Purposes Advanced level certificate at the postgraduate level (EAP 5: PG-70%); OR, obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.5 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0; OR, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 575 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Computer-based) minimum score of 232 (with Written Writing score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 90 with no band less than 20.

 

Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

Back to Top


Successful completion of a Bachelor degree program with the equivalent of an Australian system 60% grade average (or better) from a university recognised for social science or design education is required. Candidates with other tertiary qualifications and relevant industry experience will also be considered. An entrance essay and design/design strategy portfolio is required for all applicants to the program. A design strategy portfolio consists of a series of 1-2 page project case studies that demonstrate the applicant’s holistic approach to formulating and solving social challenges through anthropological and design thinking.

The normal requirement for admission to the Masters of Design (Design Anthropology) program and the Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthropology) program is a Bachelors degree with the equivalent of an Australian system 60% grade average (or better) in a design, social science (especially anthropology), humanities, information science or human-computer interaction discipline.

The Masters of Design (Design Anthropology) and the Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthroplogy) also provide an entry point for applicants who do not hold a degree but have at least eight years relevant industry experience demonstrating potential to undertake work at this level.

Back to Top

Please read the Admission requirements section carefully and also submit copies of relevant academic transcripts, proof of citizenship, an entrance essay and a design/design strategy portfolio.

Back to Top


A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.

Back to Top
 
Make an Enquiry
How to Apply
Accept Your Offer