About the programme
The Master of Design (MDes) in Design for Interactions is a two-year, four-semester degree from Carnegie Mellon's School of Design. It is aimed at people who already have a design degree and at least a year of full-time work experience.
The first year builds a shared base. Fall courses cover interaction and service design concepts, a studio on designing for interactions, communication design theory and practice, and thesis preparation. Spring adds a design seminar, a research-based studio, a research methods course and an elective. In the second year, students take an advanced interaction and service design course and a growing number of electives.
Through seminars and electives, students can focus on Transition Design, Social Innovation or Design for Service. The degree is built around an independent thesis, a research and design project run across both semesters of the second year with a faculty mentor.
- Format
- In person in Pittsburgh, full-time, in a small cohort.
- Length
- Four semesters over two years. Entry is in fall only; there are no spring starts and no transfer credit.
- Cost
- Tuition is $45,000 a year for 2026-27 ($22,500 a semester), about $90,000 for two years. Required fees add about $1,040 a year (technology, activities and transport). The school offers some paid assistantships ($2,000 a semester) and a few partial merit scholarships.
- Admissions
- Applications open 1 October and close 15 January. The fee is $75 plus $5 for SlideRoom. You need a portfolio of 5-9 projects, three letters and a resume. GRE scores are not considered.
- Background
- A degree in design or a design-related field and at least one year of full-time work after graduating. Recommended English scores are TOEFL 102, IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 130.
- Capstone
- A two-semester thesis (Thesis Project I and II, 18 units each) in the second year.
Who it suits
Suits working designers who want two years of research-led study in interaction, service and transition design, with a thesis. Career changers without a design portfolio, or anyone who wants a one-year technical HCI degree, should look at other programmes.
Checked against Carnegie Mellon University’s official programme pages in October 2026.
