Master's degree in Advanced Studies in Design-Barcelona (MBDesign)

Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB)

Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT)

Vilanova i la Geltrú School of Engineering (EPSEVG)

The master's degree in Advanced Studies in Design-Barcelona (MBDesign) (master's degree website) is a multidisciplinary degree in which creativity, innovation and research are applied as tools for knowledge and for proposing the designs of the future. It is conceived from a comprehensive, wide-ranging and cross-disciplinary perspective that is characteristic of design in Barcelona, which has become an international benchmark in recent decades. Its approach is propositional: it contributes new views on theory, participatory network strategies and the most innovative trends in new product design. Teaching takes place in settings such as design workshops, projects on various topics, materials and technology research laboratories, collaborative work, and digital manufacturing laboratories.

The master's degree consists of a compulsory, cross-disciplinary stage of 15 ECTS credits and an optional stage of 30 ECTS credits that includes five specialisations:

Contemporary Design (taught in English)
Design, Innovation and Technology (taught in English)
Industrial Design Engineering
Art Direction in Design
Design Research (a cross-disciplinary specialisation that covers the other four)

These specialisations all end with a master's thesis of 15 ECTS credits that can be focused on a design project or research. In addition to these five specialisations, optional courses covering business, entrepreneurship and intellectual property are also taught.

Specialisations

Contemporary Design
Design, Innovation and Technology
Industrial Design Engineering
Art Direction in Design
Design Research

General details

Duration and start date: One academic year, 60 ECTS credits
Timetable and delivery: Face-to-face
Fees and grants: Approximate fees for the master’s degree, excluding other costs (does not include non-teaching academic fees and issuing of the degree certificate):
€1,660 (€6,331 for non-EU residents).
More information about fees and payment options
More information about grants and loans
Language of instruction: Check the language of instruction for each subject in the course guide in the curriculum. The Contemporary Design and Design, Innovation and Technology specialisations are taught entirely in English.
Information on language use in the classroom and students’ language rights.
Location: Barcelona School of Architecture
Vilanova i la Geltrú School of Engineering
Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering
Faculty of Fine Arts - Universitat de Barcelona

Admission

General requirements: Academic requirements for admission to master's degrees
Places: 75
Pre-enrolment: Pre-enrolment closed (consult the new pre-enrolment periods in the academic calendar).

How to pre-enrol
Enrolment: How to enrol
Legalisation of foreign documents: All documents issued in non-EU countries must be legalised and bear the corresponding apostille.

Professional opportunities

Professional opportunities

Academia and theory-focused settings. Doctoral degrees in Design.
Agencies and organisations devoted to applied design for social, health and/or welfare purposes.
Companies and industries, new product development offices, application of design in new fields and and implementation in emerging sectors.
Public and private bodies related to markets, products, consumption and local areas.
Communication, social networks, image and communication. New media and overall message design.
Cultural organisations related to society, culture and objects, as well as the dissemination of these organisations and reflection and debate on these themes.

Competencies

Generic competencies

Generic competencies are the skills that graduates acquire regardless of the specific course or field of study. The generic competencies established by the UPC are capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and social commitment, knowledge of a foreign language (preferably English), teamwork and proper use of information resources.

Quality accreditation

Check the degree’s main quality indicators in the University Studies in Catalonia portal of the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency. Find information on topics such as degree evaluation results, student satisfaction and graduate employment data.
Further information