Course General Description

The MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism is one of the only graduate programs of its kind in the U.S.

Prepare for careers in design research, publishing, curating, education, and management Contribute to the public discourse on design, architecture, and cities Enrich your multi-dimensional practice with research, writing and critical tools Learn how to create compelling narratives about images, objects and spaces The new SVA MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism is now accepting applications for Fall 2018. This rigorous one-year program equips students with tools for researching, chronicling, and interpreting all aspects of design. Each student is asked to identify an individual research territory to explore during the year. Through workshops, seminars, lectures, and site-visits, students learn about the issues and policies that shape the man-made environment; deploy research methods, reporting techniques, and theoretical models; while experimenting with media for communicating their research, such as writing, podcasting, video, exhibitions, and events.

The MA department has its own floor in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. Each student has a desk space within an open-plan, light-filled workspace. The program takes advantage of its New York location with frequent visits to the city’s design collections, archives, libraries, design and architecture studios, and behind-the-scenes access to new exhibitions, buildings, and urban planning ventures. With more than 30 guest lecturers and critics visiting the department per semester to supplement the core curriculum, the program connects students to inspirational mentors and helps them to forge relationships with potential employers and colleagues.

School General Description

Welcome to New York City, SVA’s hometown, and the leader of today’s creative economy, with more than 14,000 creative businesses and nonprofits. According to the EY Global Talent in Global Cities 2015 study, New York attracts more creative talent than any other city in the world because it “enjoys a unique cultural scene, embedded in a cosmopolitan and forward-thinking urban environment.” There is no better place to study, practice and work as a creative professional. Critique is a vital and challenging part of the educational experience in a college of art and design. Participating in this practice requires students to be open and vulnerable while they present their work for discussion and questioning, and to trust the transformative powers of the process in service of the work. Through the frequent repetition of this act of openness, students and faculty share and strengthen their humanity, empathy and kinship and their work evolves.