Twin Cities campus

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Twin Cities Campus

Product Design Minor

DESGN GARP Administration
College of Design
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Design Graduate Program, 240 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108
Email: dhagrad@umn.edu
Website: https://design.umn.edu/
  • Program Type: Graduate free-standing minor
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2022
  • Length of program in credits (master's): 10
  • Length of program in credits (doctoral): 12
  • This program does not require summer semesters for timely completion.
Product design is the planning of an item intended to be manufactured and sold. These items exist both as discrete artifacts and as actors in larger social systems, such as branded environments, services, experiences, and social interactions. A graduate minor may be earned in product design when it logically relates to the graduate major field. The minor program is designed to suit the particular needs and interests of the student. The course of study is determined in consultation with the student's major advisor and the director of graduate studies for the minor.
Program Delivery
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Prerequisites for Admission
A graduate minor may be earned in product design when it logically relates to the graduate major field.
Other requirements to be completed before admission:
An application survey of interest must be completed to enroll in the minor.
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the General Information section of this website.
Program Requirements
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
Students may petition for additional DES or GDES courses with approval of Product Design Graduate Program Director. The course of study must be approved by the Product Design Director of Graduate Studies.
Product Design Core Courses
Required Course (4 Credits)
PDES 5711 - Product Innovation Lab (4.0 cr)
Additional Courses (6 to 8 Credits)
Select courses from the list below in consultation with the advisor to satisfy minimum credit requirements.
PDES 5701 - User-Centered Design Studio (4.0 cr)
PDES 5702 - Visual Communication (3.0 cr)
PDES 5703 - Prototyping Methods (4.0 cr)
PDES 5704 - Computer-Aided Design Methods (3.0 cr)
PDES 5705 - History and Future of Product Design (3.0 cr)
DES 5185 - Human Factors in Design (3.0 cr)
Program Sub-plans
Students are required to complete one of the following sub-plans.
Students may not complete the program with more than one sub-plan.
Masters
Doctoral
  
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PDES 5711 - Product Innovation Lab
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: PDes 3711/PDes 5711
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Spring
A hands-on experience in integrated product design and development processes. Elements of industrial design, engineering, business, and humanities are applied to a semester-long product design project. Cross-functional teams of students in different majors work together to design and develop new consumer product concepts with guidance from a community of industry mentors.
PDES 5701 - User-Centered Design Studio
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Spring
This class provides a studio-based overview of user-centered product design and development processes. Students will practice both user and market research, creativity and idea generation tools, concept evaluation/selection techniques, prototyping methods for concept development and communication, and user testing. This class will also cover fundamentals of intellectual property and manufacturing. In this studio, students will apply these skills towards the development of a product concept.
PDES 5702 - Visual Communication
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
This class provides an overview of sketching, manual rendering and Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for communication of conceptual product design. Topics covered will include free-hand perspective drawing of simple/complex geometries, line weight/quality, shading/shadow, design details and annotations, as well as image editing, vector graphics, and multi-page layout design. There will be weekly drawing assignments and critique of work.
PDES 5703 - Prototyping Methods
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
This class is a hands-on introduction to traditional and digitally interactive prototyping tools and techniques. Through a series of projects students will gain experience with building product models using different materials and tools related to foam core, foam, wood, Arduino, and digital fabrication. In the process, the course covers design topics related to form and function, ergonomics, visual aesthetics, and design critique.
PDES 5704 - Computer-Aided Design Methods
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
This class provides an overview of how to make high-quality digital computer-based models of existing and conceptual products and interactions. Students will learn Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Axure for two-dimensional design and digital prototyping. Students will also learn SolidWorks and KeyShot for three-dimensional solid modeling and rendering. prereq: Senior or grad student
PDES 5705 - History and Future of Product Design
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Spring
This class covers critical milestones in the history, evolution, and trajectory of modern product design as well as the human relationships to consumer goods, including production and consumption. In some assignments, students have the opportunity to apply the topics discussed towards imagining the future of the product design industry.
DES 5185 - Human Factors in Design
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Exploration of the theories and methods that influence the assessment of physical, cognitive, social, and psychological human factors, and the analysis of user needs with application to designed products and systems that interact with a human user or the human body. This course is an introductory overview to the theories and concepts of Human Factors and their application through the methods of User-Centered Design. Typically, the class is comprised of students from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds. Course material is explored through readings, lectures, discussions, case studies, and course projects.