- posted on
- June 12, 2008
- by Liz Danzico
Announcing New MFA in Interaction Design
Today, the School of Visual Arts in New York City is unveiling a project we’ve been working on for some time: a new Master of Fine Arts in Interaction Design, a program to launch in Fall of 2009. The program was jointly concepted by Steven Heller, co-founder (with Lita Talarico) of the renowned MFA Designer as Author program, and me over the last several months. I’ll be charting a new path of sorts in coming months, taking on the position as Chair of the program, while continuing to foster my own information architecture and user research practice in parallel.
The program is in the early stages of development as we shape the curriculum and work with faculty and potential faculty. The caliber of the instructors so far is quite staggering even to me, and I’m thrilled to see what is emerging with each new component. The diverse faculty roster includes in part: Christopher Fahey, David Womack, Jason Santa Maria, Karen McGrane, Khoi Vinh, Paul Ford, Matt Owens, Rachel Abrams, Jeffrey Zeldman — just to name a few. (Many more on the faculty will be announced later this summer.)
Masters programs at SVA have a history of focusing on the intersection of design and business, creating projects founded solidly on application. In 2005 as part of the Designer as Author program, for instance, Deborah Adler exemplified how design can transform the interaction between humans and information; this new program intends to lead the way for its counterpart in digital media.
No matter where you stand on the interaction design spectrum, if you’ve followed the maturation and growth of the field, this is potentially a pretty an exciting step for the the design community and the larger profession. I’m going to be working with designers of all capacities this summer to find out answers to the key question: what are the critical skills needed to foster a landmark understanding of interaction design?
Wow. Now *that* is one impressive program and one hell of a faculty line up. Nice work, Liz!
congratulations!!!!!!!!
*Amazing!* I can’t wait to hear more about it, especially regarding the “focus on the intersection of design and business.” Integrating this with an MBA (in the spirit of the Design Strategy MBA at CCA) would be an interesting direction to take it in…
I agree with Fred. But the program would hold even greater interest for me if it were inclusive of more than just business. At this point, the nonprofit and public administration sectors could use a good dose of design methods and thinking much more than businesses. Think of it as design with purpose.
If only this had been here in 1988 :-)
Sounds like a great idea and the instructors are excellent! Best of luck!
Awesome! I wana go back to school!
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement!
Fred and Terence: Great points. By including “business” we mean to emphasize the practical application of the projects. This focus won’t be to the exclusion of sectors like nonprofit or the public sector—quite the opposite. Some of the faculty were chosen because of their focus in these areas, and we intend to use SVA’s location in New York City as a way of examining design in these contexts. This is all to say that I believe both of your points will be addressed as the curriculum rolls out.
I’m not sure that “concepted” is really a word.
Wow. I’ll have my BFA in Graphic Design in 2010; this looks like a fantastic program (the faculty alone — wow). I hadn’t planned on leaving Chicago, but I’m going to keep this in mind.
Wow, this sounds like a great program! It seems as if my blogroll has suddenly turned into the faculty!
Can you take the courses remotely? ;)
This is great news, congratulations. Looking at the list of instructors, am I right in concluding that this course is focused on design for screen-based interactions? Or will there be a tangible interactions component?
John: Remote courses won’t be possible, but some of the guest lectures and media will most likely be freely available online!
Kars: Good observation. The program will certainly focus on screen-based interaction design in part, and the faculty we’ve announced at this point certainly excel in that area. But there are a handful of instructors yet to be announced who specialize in industrial and product design. So our intention is that the program give the opportunity to explore both screen-based- and more tangible interaction design.
Congrats! this is going to be great program
Wow. Well, I never thought I’d find a reason to return to school. Never say never, I guess.
Sweet. This is the sort of thing that would make me consider going back to school. MFA… so I’d need a BFA first? Can you get a BFA based on experience like you can get a job without one? ;-)
I just want to take classes from the likes of you, JSM, Khoi, and Zeldman!
Congratulations! I’m hoping this program will be very successful — and lead to related programs in other cities - *cough* Boston *cough*. Of course it would be difficult to replicate the stellar teaching staff!
Good work, and by the way, I’ll be in your class next fall. This is very exciting!
When do you begin having meetings (Ala D-Crit @ KGB Bar), and do you know if it will be possible to study part time at night and work a 9-5?
Note: My employer offers a comprehensive education program ($$$), and I could possibly move to a junior IA/IxD position while studying.
Liz, congrats. This is truly awesome.
Philip: Yes, it’s true: You need a bachelor’s degree to apply. Professional experience definitely counts for a lot as well (but you still need the undergrad degree … at least for now).
Chad: We’re definitely in the process of putting together interaction-design-specific programming along the lines of Alice Twemlow’s D-CRIT events at KGB Bar. You can expect the series of events to kick off in the fall of this year.
And that’s terrific news about your employer. Most courses will take place in late afternoon and evenings to accommodate the professional schedule of many of the students. The intent is that you could easily hold down a position while studying in the program.
That is fantastic news. Keep us posted!
This is fantastic. I’ve been searching for a program like this and here it comes from my own alma mater. My SVA BFA way back in (eh-hem) ‘86 started me off on a strange and wonderful path to information architecture and interaction design for Web, software, medical analyzers and educational touchscreen exhibits.
Have you considered offering this as part online and part in class/studio like some schools offer for MFA programs? That would allow professionals outside of the NYC area to keep their day jobs and attend.
Also I hope this will also position SVA to offer other opportunites such as conferences, boot camps, or certifications. With a growing interaction design and usability team and difficulty finding suitable applicants, I know my employer would be supportive for employees to attend. We currently have several folks in the Bentley College Information Design certification program.
Go SVA!
Is this a full-time only track?
Would it be possible to take the course-load in 3 years rather than 2, studying part time?
Mabel: Interesting hearing your perspective, especially as as an alum. To answer your question:
Have you considered offering this as part online and part in class/studio like some schools offer for MFA programs? That would allow professionals outside of the NYC area to keep their day jobs and attend.
We haven’t considered that approach yet, although it might be feasible at some point. But for the first couple of years, at least, building a community and a culture will be a critical part of the program’s development, so remote courses won’t be offered.
SVA does offer many of the audio and video from its lectures for free on the iTunes store. We’ll definitely be following suit!
Chad: It is only a full-time, two-year program for now. We have to start somewhere!
Any information on the curriculum? Admission requirements?
I know a bachelor’s is needed, but if it’s an MFA program I would think a strong background in fine arts.
Allison: Information on the curriculum and admissions requirements will be posted within the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can review the general SVA Admissions Requirements on the site.
Liz
Congratulations! This is terrific. Can’t wait to see all the exciting things that will come out of your new program.
Really delighted that you are part of the SVA community.
I am very interested in this program. Where can I have more information about Admission requirements?
Perhaps, put my in your mailing list?
thank you.
Soo: I’ll be following up with you separately to add you to our list. We should have information online, properly, within a couple of weeks.
Congratulations Liz and Co! I can only imagine the amount of work that’s gone into this.
I’m really interested to chat with you about IxD education.. I’m undertaking a PhD (by project) in this area, and will be interviewing key people about their thoughts and approaches, particularly wrt links between industry and education..
Let me know if you’d be keen to talk further…
Congratulations! Great news. Would love to hear more about the program and be added to your list.
Hello,
Quite a roster of faculty members. I wouldn’t expect less from SVA of course!
I, too, would love to be notified when further information about the program (admissions, etc) is available.
I suppose I didn’t clearly state my interest before but I’m very interested in learning more about (and applying for) this program. Is there a way I can receive the latest updates on the the program’s formation? Thanks.
Vincent, Camille, and Ryan: I’ll add all three of you to the mailing list. Thanks for your interest!
We’re in the process of developing a department website, and in the meantime, you can request a catalog on the school’s interaction design page. Doing so, will add you to our mailing list.
Just saw your presentation at AEA in SF, Liz. Great stuff. Loved the comparisons of music/jazz to design.
This program sounds awesome; I’ve been looking for something exactly like it for a while now. Would you mind adding me to your mailing list? Thanks!
This looks like a great program.! I’d love to be added to the mailing list.
Liz,
Really enjoyed your presentation on Monday at AEASF, especially the concept of “desire paths.” Thanks for sharing your knowledge and inspiration.
Please add me to your email list to hear about the SVA program! As many of the previous comments have said, I never thought I’d have a reason to go back to school, but this is a reason! And I’m an SVA alum as well. BFA.
Thanks!