Advanced Design Thinking, GCRT
for the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Design Thinking
Overview
The School of Art & Design and Industrial Design program are accepting applications for Fall 2026 admission to the graduate certificate in Advanced Design Thinking.
The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Design Thinking provides an intensive introduction to the application of state-of-the-art design thinking in human-centered design practice. Design thinking is now widely recognized as having application across a broad spectrum of professional, industrial, business, and community sectors.
The Graduate Certificate offers a project-based, practical experience in applying design thinking methodologies to investigate human needs and generate design proposals in response to identified opportunities. You will use a variety of research, analysis, ideation, prototyping, and communication techniques in these projects.
The program involves studying alongside students in the Master of Fine Arts in Art + Design, with a concentration in Industrial Design. Engagement with Industrial Design graduate students enables students who earn the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Design Thinking to apply credits earned in the certificate toward an MFA or MDes in ID or other graduate qualification in Industrial Design.
for the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Design Thinking
Graduation Requirements
Minimum Cumulative GPA: 2.75
Minimum hours required for certificate completion: 12 hours
Students who have successfully completed this certificate may use the certificate courses to satisfy the following degree requirements, provided they apply and are admitted to the degree program:
12 hours of required studio coursework for the Master of Fine Arts in Art + Design, concentration in Industrial Design.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARTD 501 | Industrial Design I: From Inquiry to Ideation | 6 |
| ARTD 502 | Industrial Design II: From Ideation to Implementation | 6 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
for the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Design Thinking
At the end of the program, students should demonstrate the following at an initial postgraduate level:
- Research: The ability to select and use appropriate research and experimental methods, to access existing data sources or to generate new data, to analyze and draw insights for future work, with particular emphasis on identifying human needs.
- Creative synthesis: The ability to produce meaningful creative proposals from investigation, or in response to identified opportunities or requirements, using appropriate design thinking, modelling and making strategies, taking account of users, audience, market needs, makers, producers or exhibitors, reconciling diverse perspectives in coherent design solutions.
- Production: The ability to select and use appropriate production processes in the design process with an understanding of the potential of new technologies and the critical importance of sustainability.
- Contextualization: The ability to understand the multiple contexts of design practice, including the historical, theoretical, critical, social, professional, cultural, environmental and technological contexts.
- Communication: The ability to use various forms of communication as appropriate during and on completion of the work process, to elicit information, to explain, to debate and persuade, adapting to audience and situations.
- Organization: The ability to plan and implement action, identifying targets and organizing resources, effectively managing self and others, including team building and team working skills.
- Learning: The ability to carry out independent learning as a basis for academic study, lifelong learning and for personal professional development, including the ability to reflect and independently evaluate your own practice, with the aim of improvement.
for the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Design Thinking
School of Art & Design
School of Art & Design
Art & Design Faculty
School Director: Brooke White
Director of Graduate Studies: Terri Weissman
138 Art and Design Building, 408 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
Graduate Office: (217) 333-0642
Graduate Studies Advisors:
MA; PhD in Art History: David O'Brien
MA; EdM; PhD in Art Education: Laura Hetrick
MFA in Studio: Emmy Lingscheit
MFA and MDES in Industrial Design: Carlos Araujo de Aguiar
MFA in Design for Responsible Innovation: Stacey Robinson
College of Fine & Applied Arts
College of Fine & Applied Arts
Admissions
Ellen de Waard: edewaard@illinois.edu
Graduate College Admissions Requirements