MA-Design

Program Contacts

Overview

Medical students pursuing their MA in Design focused on Health will learn the design thinking process, sometimes known as human-centered design. This creative, collaborative approach to problem identification and solution generation involves deeply understanding users through in-person qualitative research; generating a large number of solutions through the ideation process; and producing, testing, and iterating solutions to the needs identified. Additionally, students will learn concrete skills in design, from visual design and physical prototyping to service and business design. They’ll also develop their skills in project management, navigating complex stakeholder relationships, communications and storytelling, and creating effective team dynamics and cultures.

Medical students with an existing creative streak will feel right at home in the Design in Health dual degree program, which will leverage both their creative and analytical minds; however, even students who have not traditionally identified as “creative” will find that the design process unlocks the creative potential which exists in everyone, but which is latent in many. Hospitals, health systems, and social service providers are increasingly turning toward design to drive innovations in the way we care for patients in inpatient, outpatient, and community settings. Design doesn’t just push health and healthcare to be more person-centered; it creates a consistent pipeline of innovations ripe for scaling and commercialization, and lends itself well to those with an entrepreneurial bent who are interested in the development of new products and services (though the design program will not focus extensively on the business aspects of commercialization). A background in design will also prepare future physician leaders to serve as a Chief Innovation Officer or Chief Design Officer at a hospital or healthcare system.

Curriculum

Students will take classes that will develop them into “T-shaped” professionals, with a deep understanding of both the provision of care and the design process, and a very broad set of skills, abilities, interests, and experiences that will help them innovate in need areas they identify during the course of their careers as physicians. The classes students will take are far outside the realm of what traditional physicians study, and include courses in the history of design, visual and narrative design, hands-on physical prototyping, service creation, and more.

Students completing their MA in Design focused on Health will not only receive their MA alongside their MD, but will use their project as the centerpiece of a portfolio, which will communicate to future employers the tangible work products of the MA and the individual skills that each student has developed. Additionally, alums will become part of a growing group of physicians and designers—including members of the Design Institute—that can lean on one another as they begin to practice design in medicine in their residencies and beyond.

Click here to view the MA in Design focused on Health curriculum.

Virtual Information Session

The MA in Design focused on Health program holds information sessions throughout the fall and spring semesters. Check the MA in Design focused on Health webpage for upcoming sessions or a recording of a previous session. 

Degree Format

The MA degree program is delivered in an in-person format beginning at the end of the summer. The program spans three semesters from early August through May. 

Degree Requirements

This program is only for third-year Dell Medical School students who are accepted into the MA dual degree program. 

Tuition and Fees

There are no additional tuition or fees associated with this dual degree. Students will continue paying their regular medical school tuition.

Application Instructions

This program is only for third-year Dell Medical School students who are accepted into the MA dual degree program. In order to apply for the MD/MA dual degree program, students must be in good academic standing at Dell Medical School. 

Please navigate to the MA in Design focused on Health webpage and follow the application instructions listed there. Please be sure to select "summer" as your semester of entry in ApplyTexas to locate the correct graduate Design program.

Orientation

Program orientation and a 2-week Summer Studio will begin the first week in August.

Graduation

See the Graduation page for more information.