The innovative MBA in Design Strategy, which will enroll its first class of students in fall 2008, unites the studies of design, finance, and organizational management in a unique curriculum aimed at providing students with tools and strategies to address today's complex and interconnected market. The program's approach encompasses performance, strategy, innovation, and the encouragement of meaningful, sustainable social change.

The curriculum combines lectures and seminars in business strategy, organizational development, management communication, leadership and entrepreneurship, and sustainability with practical studios and sponsored projects that put theory into practice in a dynamic, team-centric experience. Multiple media and approaches are used to explore customer and market needs, challenge assumptions, devise effective solutions, and communicate opportunities across a wide range of stakeholders.

Each semester, students develop individual and team solutions to a variety of economic and social challenges using design techniques (such as user-centered research, prototyping, critique, and iteration) as well as business metrics. Solutions are evaluated according to how well they meet user and market needs as well as their clear business or organizational value.

Sponsored projects allow students to work with leading businesses. Seminars address traditional business and organizational issues such as finance, economics, operations, and marketing, always incorporating design approaches and processes. Students work individually and in teams to research and present findings in discussions, group projects, and presentations. In addition, students may take advantage of graduate-wide electives— seminars available to those in any program.

To offer maximum flexibility to working professionals, the program is conducted through five once-a-month, four-day weekends of instruction and interaction, with online and network study between these residencies. This schedule allows participants from all over the United States to maintain their careers while keeping in close contact with team members, faculty, and program staff.

The program has dedicated studio space on CCA's San Francisco campus for local students to use. Also available are model-making facilities, metal- and woodshops, a laser cutter, a 3D prototyping machine, paint booths, and studios for editing digital media, film, video, and sound.

CCA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). Supplementary WASC accreditation for the new MBA in Design Strategy program is pending; we anticipate approval by Fall 2008.

Click on the image above for an overview of the low-residency semester structure

An important note: Due to its low residency format, CCA is currently unable to issue I-20s to international MBA in Design Strategy Program applicants. However, if you are an international student who currently resides in the United States on an H visa (employer-sponsored), you will be eligible to enroll.

Applying

See MBA in Design Strategy: How to Apply

Contact Us

For specific questions about the Design MBA program, please contact us at designmba@cca.edu.