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Design The Open University

Department name
Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials
Qualification, duration, mode
PhD 36FT 72PT variableDL*MPhil 15FT 24PT variableDL
Months of entry
October
Entry requirements
PhD: The normal minimum entrance requirement is an upper second class honours degree or master's degree, relevant to the proposed area of study, from a recognised higher education institution in the UK. You should also have experience of academic research in the previous four years, normally in the form of either a master's degree in research methods, an undergraduate degree with a research element in the final year, or work-related experience with evidence through research reports. If you're not sure if you meet the entry requirements, please contact us (research-degrees-team@open.ac.uk). MPhil: see http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/ for more information.
Course description
The uniqueness of our research lies in the emphasis on the generic aspects of design activity, rather than developing specific disciplinary areas. The Design Group is a unique teaching and research unit comprising a multidisciplinary team of staff. The group is unusual, and perhaps unique, in being devoted to the subject of design as a distinct domain/discipline. Research in design embraces a broad range of subject areas including architecture, planning, product and industrial design, fashion design and engineering design, with a focus on design as the underlying process and the possibilities this entails. The group approaches design as a natural human ability but also as a special skill or practice that can be nurtured through design education. The uniqueness of our research is that it is not confined to any particular professional area of application, but instead tries to understand and promote design thinking and design processes in different domains: from product and information design, through to engineering design, architecture, transport, town planning and policy. This includes studying the complex processes and environments within which design activity and products are situated, as well as understanding how design activity can become a vehicle for innovation and sustainability. Generally, a research degree in this area is empirically-based and can include rigorous formal work. We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds. Full-time research students normally work on a project originally formulated by a member of staff. Part-time research students normally work on a project that they have formulated, often related to their occupation, which also fits within the research areas of the group. Key facts - Design at the Open University was ranked 3 out of 71 submissions to the UK's 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). - 45 per cent of the Design Group's research was graded 'internationally excellent' and 35 per cent as 'world-leading' in the 2008 RAE submission. - PhD students have at least two supervisors and a separate 3rd party monitor to help mentor and ensure good practice. - PhD students are core contributors to the Design Group's research culture, with regular seminar programmes in Milton Keynes. - Members of the group have secured resources from major research funders such as The Leverhulme Trust, the EU, EPSRC, AHRC and JISC. - A leading international design research journal Design Studies was launched from this department in 1979 and still maintains strong links with the group through the editorial board. Facilities The group has a suite of new design research laboratories and is prioritising full-time research degrees that make use of these facilities: - The Complexity Science and Design Laboratory - The FRAS Laboratory - The Design Observatory - The FabLab - The Robotics and Autonomous Systems Laboratory - The Digital Media Laboratory.
Named pathways
- Complexity science and design - Design processes and products - Education research in design - Integrated waste systems - Sustainable design - Technology management
Funding
Please see The Open University website http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/ for more information.
Contact name
Dr Emma Dewberry
Contact email
mct-ddem-enquiries@open.ac.uk
Contact phone
+44 (0)1908 332940
Contact web
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/

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