Specialization lines

The curriculum of the Master's Degree in Advanced Studies in Design‐Barcelona, of 60 ECTS, begins with a common phase of 15 ECTS, which is compulsory. In addition, it includes 5 specialization lines of 30 ECTS each, and then the development, the presentation and the defense of the Master's Thesis (TFM).

To obtain the specialization line, a minimum of 25 ECTS must be taken and passed (of which 20 ECTS will be specified in compulsory subjects). The remaining 5 ECTS until 30 can be taken through another subject of the same specialization line or any other from the offer of optional subjects common to all specialization lines. In this case the Master's Thesis will have the character of the specialization line studied.

There is the possibility of taking a double specialization line. In this case, admitted students, in addition of studying and passing the ECTS from both specialization lines, they have to pass a specific Master's Thesis suitable to the curricular itinerary developed throughout the master's program. Both specialties must be chosen during the admission process.

The MBDesign has the following specialization lines:

 

1. Contemporary Design (taught in English)

Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB, UPC) 

The subjects deal with theory and practice simultaneously. The specialisation is focused on new challenges in contemporary design and uses the creative process of design as a tool to solve new products and, at the same time, as a research tool. The subjects cover different scales that range from the personal object, furniture and domestic space to urban furniture, urban spaces and communication and transport systems. New technologies (3D printing, robotisation, new materials, etc.) and social movements (citizen participation, situationism, psychogeography, etc.) are taken as points of reference, establishing relationships between design, culture (1), new technologies and the environment. Architecture and City acts as a general reference framework.

Contemporary Design addresses issues such as Industrial design, art and emotional design / Furniture and indoor environments / Customisation of objects / Ephemeral architecture and temporary events / Microarchitecture / Urban space and furniture / Communication and information / Urban art and land art / Transport systems and public space / Design, collective participation and urban regeneration / Design, culture and exhibitions (1) / Neo-vernacular architecture and new construction systems. 

Project strategies (compulsory)    10 ECTS credits

Creativity, invention an emotion in design    5 ECTS credits

Comprehensive design: Systems and programmes    5 ECTS credits

Materiality, representation and form design (compulsory)    10 ECTS credits

Design and materiality    5 ECTS credits

Representation and new formats    5 ECTS credits

Contemporary Design Research (5 optional ECTS credits)*    10 ECTS credits

Reality and sustainable future: Environment and product    5 ECTS

Design culture: Architecture and exhibition (1)    5 ECTS

 

* Subjects of the Design Research specialisation

(1) The subject "Design culture. Architecture and exhibition" is done in collaboration with the Barcelona Design Museum

 

2. Design, Innovation and Technology (taught in English)

Vilanova i la Geltrú School of Engineering - EPSEVG

The specialisation is aimed at discovering and working on new challenges in the design discipline that are the result of the acceleration of technological, social and economic change. The subjects in the specialisation connect design and applied and social sciences to create models of products and services that can be adapted to the new demands of society and the environment.

The subjects allow students to obtain the vision and the tools to apply a design-technology-society strategy to the development of innovation projects. The topics worked on include Collective dimension of design / Design guided by data / Network creativity / Complex systems / Innovation
and technology.

Collective Design (compulsory)    10 ECTS credits

Design and society    5 ECTS credits

Networked creativity and technology    5 ECTS credits

Knowledge Management in design (compulsory)  10 ECTS credits

Data-driven design    5 ECTS credits

Process design in complex systems    5 ECTS credits

Research in Design, Innovation and Technology (5 optional ECTS credits)*    10 ECTS credits

Research methods and processes in Design, Innovation and Technology    5 ECTS

Innovation and Research in Design and Technology    5 ECTS

 

3. Industrial Design Engineering (taught in Spanish)

Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT, UPC)

The aim of this optional subject area is for students to acquire advanced engineering techniques in industrial design. This means an intensification of their knowledge of materials’ selection criteria and transformation processes, as well as the practical implementation of these materials following creative criteria and trends.

The subject area also focuses on perfecting form development techniques using CAD system applications in areas such as product engineering and automotive and reverse engineering and generative modelling. This generation of forms leads to the creation of prototypes, during which advanced techniques, such as programmable logic and the Arduino standard, are explained.

Students also delve deeper into research and innovation topics, and analyse techniques and methodologies in industrial design research, which they apply to both the basic conceptual design and the development of the final product.

Advanced geometry and prototyping (Compulsory specialization line)    10 ECTS credits

Advanced geometry in design    5 ECTS

Prototyping    5 ECTS

Design and materials (Compulsory specialization line)    10 ECTS credits

Study and technical analysis of materials    5 ECTS

Practical application of materials in the design process    5 ECTS

Methodology and research in Engineering of industrial design (Compulsory specialization line)    10 ECTS credits

Research, development and innovation in product design    5 ECTS

Research methods and processes for industrial product design    5 ECTS

 

4. Art Direction in Design (taught in Spanish)

Faculty of Fine Arts (UB)

This specialisation focuses on the application and development of art direction in the field of design. The subjects cover design projects and graphic applications, graphic and typographic architecture, information design and the development of areas and methods of theoretical and critical research on aesthetics and design.

Coordination of projects of design and Art Direction (Compulsory specialization line)    10 ECTS credits

Art Direction in design projects    5 ECTS

Graphic Applications    5 ECTS

Development of projects of design and Art Direction (Compulsory specialization line)    10 ECTS credits

Graphic Architecture and typography    5 ECTS

Information design    5 ECTS

Research in Design and Art Direction (Compulsory specialization line)    10 ECTS credits

Theoretical and critical research areas and methods in the HSS on design    5 ECTS

Aesthetics and theory of design    5 ECTS

 

5. Design Research

ETSAB, ETSEVG, ESEIAAT (UPC) - Faculty of Fine Arts (UB)

This is a cross-disciplinary specialisation that is developed through the research subjects (*) of the other four specialisations, which constitute the compulsory part of this specialisation (25+5 ECTS credits). The unifying element of the course is the subject of study and research chosen by students, so studying part of all the specialisations provides them with different views on the research subject. The specialisation is focused on the study of crossdisciplinary themes that are very common in the field of design and allows the kinds of topics that cannot be included in any of the other specialisations to be studied, even though research is part of all of them.

Contemporary design research    10 ECTS credits

Sustainable reality and future Environment and product    5 ECTS credits

Design culture. Architecture and exhibition    5 ECTS credits

Research in design, innovation and technology    10 ECTS credits

Research Methods and Processes in Design, Innovation and Technology    5 ECTS credits

Innovation and Research in Design and Technology    5 ECTS credits

Methodology and research in Engineering of industrial design    10 ECTS credits

Research, development and innovation in products design    5 ECTS credits

Researc methods and processes for industrial product design    5 ECTS credits

Research in design and art management    10 ECTS credits

Theoretical and critical research areas and methods in the HSS on design    5 ECTS credits

Aesthetic and Theory of Design    5 ECTS credits

 

Common optional subjects

Additional optional subjects in all the specialisations

Design, management and company (Common Optative)    10 ECTS credits

Business Fundamentals for designers    5 ECTS

Industrial an intellectual property    5 ECTS

Design Studies (Common Optative)    10 ECTS credits

Theory, History and Historiography of design    5 ECTS

Social Sciences applied to design    5 ECTS