| It's an age old question when one considers how best | | | | and landscape design can loosely be described as the |
| to get ahead in their career: should I just concentrate | | | | indoors and outdoors of design: landscape design being |
| on getting more relevant experience? should I beef up | | | | about creating functional and aesthetically pleasing |
| my academic qualifications? do I need a bit of both? | | | | outdoor spaces and interior design being about |
| The answer is it depends, though it is also fair to say | | | | designing those spaces in which people live and work. |
| that having an associated masters degree in whatever | | | | All of these fields will have an associated bachelor's or |
| field you're working would never do you any harm. | | | | associate degree attached to them. Students who are |
| The field of design (and all its associated sub-sections | | | | looking for professional advancement and certainly |
| is no different) and one can add the crucial qualifier | | | | people who are looking to teach within their given field |
| that a master's degree in design is essential if you're | | | | - may want to check out the design masters degrees |
| ever looking to teach your particular discipline at a | | | | that are on offer. A design master's degree will be |
| University or College. This article will look at the various | | | | available at a number of different schools. A student |
| sub-categories of design in which one can pursue a | | | | should already have a bachelor's degree in the field in |
| design masters degree. | | | | which they wish to pursue post graduate studies (or at |
| Those who pursue a career in design usually do so | | | | least in a substantially related field) although there are |
| because they have a certain amount of visual flair and | | | | some schools that will offer foundation courses with |
| an interest in combining the aesthetic with the | | | | the aim of bringing a student up to speed before he |
| functional. Because our society is in a state of flux and | | | | she enrolls in the masters program. |
| always subject to new influences, there is a constant | | | | Design masters programs will take 1-2 years to |
| need for designers to create new designs (regardless | | | | complete if being pursued full time and obviously longer |
| of the field) which are reflective of the environment | | | | if being studied part time. Most post graduate courses |
| and the times in which we live - and at the same time | | | | have been developed in such a way that professionals |
| deliver functionality that hopefully makes our lives a little | | | | can pursue their studies at night and on weekends. |
| easier. | | | | There are an increasing number of schools that are |
| There are various design fields in which one can | | | | now offering an online design degree via the Distance |
| specialize. The field of graphic design is aimed at | | | | Education Network. The curricula on offer via online |
| adding visual impact to corporate communications; | | | | postgraduate programs are not substantially different |
| web design is about producing appealing and useful | | | | than those on offer to those attending a campus. An |
| websites; industrial design is concerned with producing | | | | online degree obviously gives a graduate greater |
| new products which are both functional and have | | | | flexibility in how they go about pursuing their studies |
| aesthetic appeal; fashion design is an applied art | | | | and indeed a greater choice of schools. |
| relating to clothing and accessories whilst interior design | | | | |