M.Des in Design Management is a unique, tailor-made program that combines design methods and processes with core concepts of management education. The program is ideal for graduates and professionals who want to develop their managerial skills and learn in a creative multi-disciplinary environment.

Design Management is gaining importance as it is valuable for solving complex business problems, discovering new opportunities, and driving innovation in organizations. The program offers a mix of inputs on the latest design methods and approaches and combines them with real life case studies and applications from the business world. The program offers diverse career opportunities and roles in areas like design research, brand management, service design, product management, UX Design, social impact, business development, strategy, and design consulting to name a few.

One of the most prominent features of the program is a strong and deep integration with the industry and start-up ecosystem. The students can develop their capabilities in the areas mentioned below, based on their interest and backgrounds.

Focus Areas

1. Design Research
2. Service Design
3. Product Management
4. Design Led Entrepreneurship

1. Design Research

Design research informs the experiences, services, and products which designers aim to create. It is the backbone of the designing process, and involves such as user behaviors, product usages, service environments and their context for efficient designing. Industry actively uses design research methodologies for problem solving and to study user needs, desires, and challenges. Design research is a mandatory step in the industry for creating a better future. The track enables learners to learn and practice design research methodologies such as conducting qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, field studies, creating customer journey maps, empathy maps, and so on, and allows them to use the findings in creating real life products and services. Learners also get to participate in conducting research with various organizations through internships and live projects. For whom

• Graduates with background in design, psychology, sociology, business / management etc.
• Candidates with a curious and research mindset, outgoing people with effective communication skills will be preferred.

Career Options

• Design Researcher
• Research Analyst
• UX Researcher

2. Service Design

Service design is a holistic process of designing beyond products and end users. It is the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication, and material components of a service to improve its quality and the interaction between service provider and customers. Over the past few years, the design industry has expanded its horizon and has started focusing on more holistic ways of designing. The track prepares the learners for the industry by giving them the opportunity to learn and practice service design methodologies such as creating service blueprints and practice designing services firsthand by working with startups/small-mid size companies and redesigning their services. It is an act of encouraged co-creation that learners get to experience along with primary stakeholders such as founders, engineers, staff, end users and so on. Learners also get the chance to conduct field research, study gaps and opportunities and produce services of their own which they can prototype and test as a part of the track.

For whom

• Graduates with background in design, psychology, sociology, business / management etc.
• Candidates with a mind which focuses on the larger picture and thinks about all factors involved in processes will be preferred.

Career Options

• Service Designer
• System Designer
• Experience Designers
• Design Strategists
• UX Designers

3. Design Led Entrepreneurship

Design entrepreneurship is the field of empowering designers with independent business mindset that enables them to be entrepreneurs in multiple manners such as freelancers, consultants or studio creators and owners. The track prepares designers with the capability of researching, analyzing, developing, designing, and delivering products, services, and experiences with efficient collaboration among stakeholders holistically in independent environments. The learners can develop their own product startups or start their own design consulting agency to get real-time feedback on the viability and feasibility of their concepts. It also prepares them to take ownership of their projects and develop an entrepreneurial thinking and mindset that can be valuable for a variety of job roles in the industry.

For whom

• Graduates with background in design, management, marketing, business, etc.
• Candidates who are optimistically adventurous in the sense of building ventures and challenging businesses with a holistic mindset will be preferred.

Career Options

• Entrepreneur
• Intrapreneur
• Studio Founders
• Freelancers
• Consultants


4.Product Management

Product Management is the general business practice within a company that supports and manages all the activities related to planning, developing, marketing, and launching a product. As designers progress in their careers, the responsibilities expand from being designers to being managers. The track prepares learners with adequate knowledge and skills for being design and product managers. Learning is enabled through the rigorous study of industry scenarios and case studies. The learner goes through a holistic education of design, business, marketing, society, and management. They get to apply their learnings in creating strategies for industrial products and services. They also get to practice management firsthand through multiple live projects.

For whom

• Graduates with background in design, management, marketing, business, etc.
• Candidates with effective communication skills and leadership qualities will be preferred.

Career Options

• Design Managers
• Product Managers
• Product Strategists