Plan Description
This post professional degree leads to a Master of Design (M.Des.) with a concentration in Health and Wellbeing. The program provides an interdisciplinary and research/innovation-driven educational experience that is responsive to current and projected modes of professional practice that focus on human health and wellbeing. Their educational experience enables them to effectively participate in the integrated design and project delivery processes of environments that are increasingly being considered as one of at least three modalities - pharmacologic, behavioral, and environmental - for improving the quality of human life and health. They are also prepared to practice in a variety of related positions within the broader healthcare industry.
The 4+2 Year Program of study consists of 48 credit hours of graduate course work for those who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree in in a design field within the last five years. At least 27 credits must be earned from 700-level courses. The first year of studies is organized around the foundational courses in human health and behavior, research and research methods, and comprehensive interdisciplinary studio projects. The second year of studies is focused on the development of creative and innovative design strategies that can support the transformation of health promoting environments that serve to prevent, rehabilitate or accommodate a person’s individual needs. In the final semester, students are required to complete an independently researched and developed design project as their culminating capstone.
The 4+3 Year Program of Study consists of an additional 24 design foundation courses. This 72 credit hours of graduate course work is for applicants of varied backgrounds in a degree recognized by UNLV. At least 39 credits must be earned from 700-level courses.
For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.
Plan Admission Requirements
Application deadlines
Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.
Applicants to the Master of Design program must meet the following admission requirements:
- Overall minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 (B average) in undergraduate work. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 but not less than 2.75 may be admitted as provisional students.
- A Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), or Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) accredited degree if applying into the 4 + 2 Year Program. Applicants holding other accredited degrees recognized by UNLV may be admitted into the 4+3 Year Program.
- Submission of a portfolio of design work if applying into the 4 + 2 Year Program.
- Three letters of recommendation from former instructors and/or employers that speak to the applicant’s potential as a graduate student.
- A statement of the student’s professional goals and reasons for seeking admission into the program (200 words maximum).
- International applicants whose native language is not English must show competency in the English language. A satisfactory score (minimum 550 on the written version or 213 on the computerized version) on the “Test of English as a Foreign Language” (TOEFL) or comparable evidence of competency in English must be submitted as part of their application.
- All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.
Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.
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