FAQ

Master of Science in Design (MS Design) from the Stanford School of Engineering

The highest academic degree offered through our program currently is a master’s degree. However, the coursework structure of the MS Design program is such that you can smoothly transition to another Ph.D. program in the science or engineering field if you choose to continue your education.

Recent cohorts come from fields such as Applied Mathematics, Behavioral Science, Biomedical Engineering, Business Administration, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Data Science, Design, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Fashion Design and Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Information Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular & Cell Biology, Psychology, Public Health, Robotics, and Software Engineering.

We are looking for someone who is a good fit with our program and its philosophy, and someone who will make an impact in the world through design and design thinking. The ideal candidate believes that understanding people and what they value can lead to innovation and significant breakthroughs. Ideally, the candidate combines design and technical skills and business understanding with a desire to build upon the human-centered design process that we teach. They have the potential to develop their creative confidence and understanding over the course of the program. And finally, the Committee will select candidates whose outlook and areas of expertise complement those of the other students admitted to the program for that particular year.

Our program results in a Master of Science in Design (MS Design) degree from the Stanford School of Engineering, so having an undergraduate science or engineering degree of any kind is the most straightforward preparation for our program. We consider for admission any students who apply with a Bachelor of Science (BS) or equivalent degree. 

If you hold a degree that is a BS equivalent, please consult with the institution that granted the degree and attach an official letter from the institution supporting that your degree is a BS equivalent under the Supplemental Materials section of your application. This must be from a faculty advisor or departmental representative who is familiar with your degree progress. Most of our applicants who fall under this category are graduates from institutions that offer Bachelor of Arts degrees for the completion of undergraduate science or engineering programs.

We do not have the resources necessary to respond to inquiries on if a particular degree is equivalent to a BS degree.

Start by visiting the Stanford Graduate Admissions website. The site is the best resource for university-wide admission requirements. For inquiries about eligibility, fees, test scores, or waivers, etc. or troubleshooting technical challenges in the Grad Admissions application portal, please email Stanford Graduate Admissions.

For program-specific admissions questions such as your Personal Statement or Application Website, please email our d.school admissions team. We receive many emails so we might not get to all your inquiries. However, we host weekly group office hours online from late October through late November to address any admissions application inquiries. Office hours details will be posted under the Office Hours & Info Session section early September.

The online application for 2026 entry will open in mid-September 2025, via the Stanford Graduate Admissions site. The application deadline will be on Tuesday, December 02, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. There are no exceptions. 

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores are not required by our program for the current 2025-2026 Graduate Admissions cycle. Stanford is a highly selective university and we expect that all graduate students will be able to demonstrate academic excellence prior to admission. We do not have a specific GPA requirement for admission, and during the admissions process, the committee casts a wide net, considering your overall academic preparedness; your career and life experience.

Yes, our program is very self-directed and students need to have sufficient industry experience to be successful. We require the completion of one or more years of professional employment at the time of your application submission. Students in our current graduate cohort each have about two to four plus years of work experience prior to joining the program. 

Successful graduate students bring maturity, self-efficacy, and unique skills to our program. It helps to have previous experience navigating team dynamics or leading collaborations before arriving at Stanford. Design students will be put in leadership positions in a variety of classes across campus. In the Loft, where our students work and socialize, is a vibrant learning community where you would teach what you know to your peers. Student performances and collaborations thrive in the Loft when mature graduate students are confident enough to teach and learn from each other.

We are looking for a balance of design potential and design experience in incoming students. No specific design experience or employment is required. Design can be a philosophy, a viewpoint, or a unique way of framing and tackling a problem. The best candidates cannot help themselves. They are always trying to improve and change the world around them. If you want to change something, you have to design. Show us what you care about through what you work on.

International applicants will complete the same online application as domestic applicants. However, please note that to be eligible for admission to graduate study at Stanford, candidates must: 

• Meet the university’s minimum requirements for academic credentials and English proficiency. Please review the Eligibility section on the Stanford Graduate Admissions site.
• Demonstrate sufficient proficiency to read English with ease, understand rapid idiomatic English as used in lectures and group discussions, and express thoughts quickly and clearly in spoken and written English. Please review the English Proficiency Test (TOEFL/IELTS) section on the Stanford Graduate Admissions site.

The statement of purpose and application website are the first parts of your application the admissions committee reviews. A strong, clear statement sets up the evaluation, and is a critical element in our admissions process. This is an essay no more than two pages in length, addressing the reasons behind why you are invested in learning design and more specifically, why at Stanford? Tell us what you are hoping the d.school can teach you and what you would like to learn. As an applicant to our program, you have decided to pause your current job in order to pursue graduate studies in Design for two years, full-time. This is a huge commitment. Why have you decided to do this at this point in your life? Each applicant’s reasoning is unique and personal. We look forward to reading yours and understanding your aspirations to becoming a designer. 

Yes, a digital application website is required. Provide the full webpage URL when prompted in the online application portal.

We are a masters-level program that teaches design thinking, creativity methodology, a human centered-ethnographic approach to design, strategic innovation, and design leadership. Once a basic mastery of these proficiencies is obtained, they are applied to solve problems that will benefit the world. Therefore, students who enter the program should have already mastered basic skills that they can bring with them as a toolkit for the program. For example, they could bring design skills such as quick idea sketching, product rendering, and prototype building. Or, they could bring skill sets in coding, storytelling, or manufacturing. Your website is intended to help us assess the toolkit you are bringing to the program: your underlying visual and creative abilities. Some of our current students’ websites are available here on our program site and each one is unique.

There are no specific guidelines on the kind of website you submit or how many projects should be part of this website. Think of the website as your vehicle to demonstrate who you are and how you think. Your website is our window into your creativity. It also shows us what kinds of design problems are important to you, so make it personal.

Passwords to projects that must remain confidential can be submitted via the online application portal also. However, we strongly recommend only doing this if the projects are highly confidential.

The Stanford MS Design Program is a full-time, two-year program that spans over six academic quarters. 

We believe that design thinking is a team sport, and therefore most of our core classes are project-based and students work in teams. There are also courses that allow for individual self-expression. It depends on what courses you choose to take.

Students have a variety of summer experiences between their first and second years in the program. Many get internships at local companies and consultancies, and others use the time to travel and enjoy the freedom they have before starting their careers. There are also research opportunities working with professors in their labs on campus.

Based on the breadth of our program, students end up working in a very broad spectrum of jobs. Recent graduates ended up far and wide, from New Zealand to Silicon Valley. Typical paths include working at Silicon Valley tech companies, as well as joining or founding startups. Students also work for design consulting companies. Focus of work includes engineering, business, human factors, UX, and project management.

Join dozens of Stanford Engineering students who receive up to three years of funding and valuable leadership skills as Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS). KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a multidisciplinary and multicultural cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your graduate studies at Stanford.

Candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS.

The deadline to join the 2026 cohort closes on October 8, 2025, at 1 pm (Pacific Time). 

The MS Design Program falls under the Graduate Engineering, 8, 9, 10 unit rate on the Stanford Graduate Admissions- Funding Graduate Study page. Our two-year program takes six quarters to complete, three quarters in the 1st Year and three quarters in the 2nd Year. The program is not in session over the summer. Reference this Estimated Expense Budget for a more complete view of average estimated costs for Stanford graduate students. MS Design students are offered Course Assistantships upon acceptance to offset the cost of attendance. Offers do vary each year.