Course General Description

The MFA in Collaborative Design and MA in Design Systems start with the end in mind: to produce creative leaders who will apply a whole systems mind set and a tool kit of design, analytical, and entrepreneurial skills to drive positive impact in private, public, and non-profit sectors. Students, faculty, partners, and clients work together on complex problems using a collaborative, systems-based, human-centered approach. Both programs draw on the city of Portland, the Pacific Northwest, and the Pacific Rim as learning labs for graduate students seeking expanded design practices to meaningfully address the emerging challenges of the 21st century.

School General Description

PNCA is the only art and design college located in one of the most progressive cities in the United States. For all of its one hundred-plus years, PNCA has nurtured the talent in its students for radically reimagining everything, transforming the lives of our students and everyone they touch. Our studios and galleries continue to give rise to a vibrant community of innovators and culture-makers who shape the cultural landscape. The artists of the Museum Art School, later Pacific Northwest College of Art, have shaped the visual arts landscape of the region for more than one hundred years. They have become the teachers, professional artists, gallery owners, and art museum curators who have filled the galleries and molded young artists while making Portland the visual arts mecca that it is.