M.Des Master of Design Admission 2026-27

M.Des Master of Design Admission 2026-27

M.Des or Master of Design, is a 2-year postgraduate degree that deals with the study of design principles, techniques, cultural impact of design, and ethical considerations in design practice. The core M.Des subjects include design thinking and innovation, materials and processes, digital design tools, history of design, etc.

MDes Admission requires students to have a minimum of 50% in their B.Des degree and qualify with the required cut-off marks in MDes entrance exams such as CEED, GATE, NID DAT, etc. The annual M.Des fees is in the range of INR 10,000-5,50,000, the fees vary depending on private and government colleges, facilities, etc. Colleges like IIT, Guwahati have an annual fee of INR 57,150, whereas NID, Ahmedabad has an annual fee of INR 4,56,000.

What is M.Des Course?

M.Des full form stands for Master of Design, a postgraduate degree that focuses on aspects related to design theory, design research methods, design history, practical design projects, etc. M.Des course also offers various specializations like fashion design, interior design, industrial design, communication design, etc.

MDes course provides students opportunities to work in top companies like Liv Space, Amazon, Myntra, Wipro Digital, etc., in different roles like UX Designer, Industrial Designer, Product Manager, Market Researcher, etc. The average salary of an M.Des graduate is INR 4 LPA (Sources: Payscale & Ambition Box)

M.Des Eligibility Criteria

MDes admission requires a candidate to fulfill a certain set of parameters like additional certifications, minimum percentage, entrance exam score, etc. Below are the M.Des courses eligibility criteria:

• Admission for the M.Des courses requires the candidate to complete their B.Des in Architecture/Engineering/Design/Interior Design or any equivalent degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks for the general category and 45% for SC/ST/OBC or any reserved category students. In addition, students must have cleared the standard entrance examinations such as CEED, NID DAT, UPESDAT, etc.
• There is no upper age limit to enroll in the course.

Why Choose M.Des Course?

M.Des is a course designed to help students who want to pursue a career in design. It aims to help aspirants learn all the essential and essential skills to become employable. The course gives aspirants specialized qualifications to focus on both the artistic and technical aspects of visual media and design. Below listed are a few insights regarding why one should choose MDes course:

• Graduates from this role can get titles such as UX Designer, Front-end Designer, Product Designer, Fashion Designer, and Interior Designer.
• As per Knowledge Hut Report 2023, the demand for UX designers is expected to grow at a CAGR of 37.5% by 2027.
• The global industrial design market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.07% by the year 2027, leading to a higher demand for industrial designers. (As per Market Research Report, 2023)

M.Des Admission 2024

The MDes admission is done based on entrance exams and merit score in top colleges like IIT Bombay, Pearl Academy, NIDs, NIFTs, etc. Below listed is the general MDes admission procedure:

• Step 1: The students have to appear for entrance examinations to qualify for the M.Des courses.
• Step 2: Further the student needs to fill out the college application form online or offline mode.
• Step 3: Further, the candidate is called for a CAD (creative ability test), interview, or GD process, after which a final merit list is published.
• Step 4: Students need to provide valid documents for the document verification process such as identity proof, mark sheets, certification, exam score card, etc., after getting selected and paying the fees.

M.Des Entrance Exams

M.Des entrance exams are conducted at the national level and institute level in order to evaluate students’ aptitude, domain knowledge and general awareness. Below listed are a few entrance exams for M.Des course along with the registration date and accepting college:

M.Des Specializations

Students can pursue Master of Design course in various domains as per their expertise and domain knowledge ranging from fashion design to interior design. Below listed are a few common M.Des specialization list:

• M.Des in Apparel Design
• M.Des in Fashion Design
• M.Des in Fashion Communication
• M.Des in Communication Design
• M.Des in Fashion Styling
• M.Des in Interior Design
• M.Des in Graphic Design
• M.Des in Product Design
• M.Des Industrial Design

Top M.Des Colleges in India with Fees

M.Des course is offered by various prominent government and private colleges in India such as IIT Delhi, NIFTs, World University of Design, etc. The annual M.Des fees in India are between INR 10,000-5,50,000. 

The below list contains the top M.Des colleges in India as per IIRF ranking 2023 with annual fee breakdowns:

Top City-Wise Master of Design Colleges in India

Below listed are location-wise M.Des colleges in India with the average annual fees:

M.Des Syllabus and Subjects

M.Des syllabus focuses on topics like design thinking, design research methodologies, visual communication, typography, color theory, product design, sustainability in design, design history, design management, etc. Listed below is the M.Des syllabus semester wise:

Read More: M.Des Syllabus and Subjects

M.Des vs MFM

M.Des program emphasizes the creative and artistic aspects of design, whereas, MFM focuses on business and management aspects of the fashion industry. Below is a detailed comparison of the two courses.

Courses After M.Des

After obtaining an M.Des, aspirants can do certification courses abroad, which can help them get a job in the country or do diplomas, which can also further help them with a brighter plan. Different courses students can pursue include:

• PhD
• MBA
• Certificate Course in Design
• Postgraduate Diploma in Fashion Management
• Advanced Courses in Sustainable Design
• Master’s in Fine Arts (MFA)

Career Options After M.Des Graduation

After completing their Master’s in Design, an individual can choose to work for a private firm or an agency based on their preference. Below is the list of top M.Des job roles offered to graduates:

Top Recruiters for M.Des

M.Des scope is vast as graduates are recruited by companies in areas like product design, graphic design, UX/UI design, fashion design, interior design, etc. Below listed are a few top recruiters for graduates:

[Sources: Payscale & Ambition Box]

M.Des Salary In India

The entry-level M.Des salary in India on average is INR 4 LPA [Source: Payscale]. Graduates after having three-plus years of experience can earn more than INR 10 LPA. Below listed are job roles for M.Des graduates along with their average entry-level salaries:

Skills To Excel as an M.Des Graduate

Just like every profession, Designers need to have a set of soft and hard skills that will help them succeed in their professional life. Some of these skills include:

• Creative thinking skills
• Verbal Communication Skills
• Written Communication Skills
• The Ability to Work Under Pressure
• Interpersonal Skills

The M.Des syllabus spans 2 years and is divided into four semesters. The M.Des core subjects include design theory and methodology, product design, ergonomics, design research, entrepreneurial skills, etc. Students can also select elective subjects like plastic engineering, usability engineering, new media studies, automobile design, etc.

M.Des course helps students to develop technical skills related to proficiency in design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, prototyping skills using tools like Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD, etc., which helps students to work as UX designer, graphic designer, product designer, etc.

Table of Contents

• Semester-Wise M.Des Syllabus
  • M.Des First Year Syllabus
  • M.Des Second Year Syllabus
• M.Des Subjects List – Core & Electives

Semester-Wise M.Des Syllabus

The Master of Design syllabus is divided into core and elective subjects, design project, thesis phase 1 and phase 2, and final project. The table below represents the general outline of the M.Des general subjects list as semester-wise:

M.Des Syllabus First Year

M.Des 1st year syllabus focuses on fundamental concepts of design evolution, multimedia designs, methodologies, design theories, etc. The M.Des first year syllabus is detailed in the table below:

M.Des Syllabus Second Year 

M.Des 2nd year syllabus focuses on specialized topics like design semantics, product detailing, interaction design, etc., along with thesis and final project submission. The table below details the M.Des 2nd year subjects:

M.Des Subjects List – Core & Electives

M.Des subjects comprise of design principles, typography, branding, sustainable design principles, urban design, landscape architecture, etc. M.Des syllabus subjects are generally divided into two categories such as core and elective subjects. 

Core M.Des Subjects

Given below are the core M.Des subjects along with topics covered in each subject:

M.Des Electives Subjects

Listed below are some of the elective subjects along with topics covered in each:

Specialisation Wise MDes Syllabus

M.Des course is a two masters course that helps students to learn about the core areas of design and offers several specializations related to the field. Given below is the M.Des subject list for various specialization courses.

College Wise Master of Design Syllabus

College-wise M.Des syllabi from institutions across India encompass a broad spectrum of commerce subjects, enabling students to develop a solid understanding of design principles and methods.

M.Des syllabus pdf can be downloaded from the official website of the colleges. However, listed below in the following sections is a semester-wise breakdown of the MDes syllabus for some of the best colleges in India.

IIT Hyderabad MDes Syllabus

IIT Hyderabad MDes syllabus focuses on training students in training in relevant design software and tools like Adobe Suite, Photoshop, etc. Listed below is the M.Des syllabus for IIT Hyderabad:

Read More: IIT Hyderabad M.Des

IIT Guwahati MDes Syllabus

IIT Guwahati MDes syllabus covers fundamental aspects of industrial design, communication design, interaction design, etc. The semester wise syllabus of MDes offered at IIT Guwahati is detailed in the table below:

Read More: IIT Guwahati M.Des

M.Des Course Structure

M.Des course subjects are well-structured and include core and elective M.Des subjects. The aspirants can choose electives based on their specialisations and the research-based projects at the end of the last year. The following points represent the important components of the M.Des course structure: 

• IV Semesters
• Core and Elective Subjects
• Internship
• Project Submission

M.Des Teaching Methodology and Techniques

M.Des teaching methodology predominantly encompasses traditional lecture-based training and project-based learning. Below listed are a few common MDes teaching methodologies and techniques:

• Practical Sessions
• Group Projects
• Case Methodology
• Studio-Based Learning
• Critique Sessions
• Workshop
• Lectures

M.Des Projects

M.Des projects aims to familiarise students with the different research methods, and research ethics as well as help them understand the specialization of their choice at a more in-depth level.  The popular project topics M.Des students are:

• Investigate design techniques to produce mobile health apps that are easy to use.
• Investigate virtual exhibits and interactive experiences with digital technologies.
• Analyze how inclusive design affects societal integration and user experience.
• Analyze how well environmental graphic design facilitates user experience and navigation.

M.Des Reference Books

The reference books for M.Des help the students to get additional knowledge about the course they are pursuing. The MDes books help students understand concepts related to the history of design, practices, ethics, trends, etc. Some of the best M.Des books are: