MSD Design (Experience Design) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

In the Master of Science in Design program with a concentration in experience design, you focus on design practices for virtual experiences in extended reality technologies, including environmental design, programmatic in both real and virtual universes, rapid prototyping, storytelling and world-building. This program is distinct among emerging media programs with its application of these technologies and practices in socially engaged and transdisciplinary modalities.

What you will study

36 credit hours and a thesis, or 36 credit hours including the required applied project course (DSC 593) Required Core (3 credit hours) DSC 501 Qualitative Research in Design (3) Concentration (9 credit hours) DSC 550 Prototyping Futures (3) DSC 551 Immersive Experience Design I (3) HDA 581 Emerging Media Colloquium (3) Research Methods (3 credit hours) DSC 500 Research Methods (3) Electives (11 credit hours) Other Requirements (4 credit hours) DSC 584 Internship (4) or DSC 590 Reading and Conference (4) or DSC 592 Research (4) or HDA 580 Practicum (4) or Culminating Experience (6 credit hours) DSC 593 Applied Project (6) or DSC 599 Thesis (6) Additional Curriculum Information In the concentration coursework, HDA 581 should be taken three times for one credit hour.

Career pathways

Graduates of this program are well prepared for careers in a variety of fields related to the application of immersive experience design and extended reality technologies and practices.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in design and media arts or a related field from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee official transcripts letter of intent portfolio contact information of two references professional resume or CV proof of English proficiency Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search; the application opens almost a year before the start term. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S. Apply with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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