Regulations for The Master of Design - MDes

Official rules and regulations for the Master of Design. These regulations are for the 2025 intake to this qualification.

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Qualification Regulations

Part I

These regulations are to be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.

Part II

Admission

1. Admission to the Degree of Master of Design requires that the candidate will:

(a) meet the University admission requirements as specified;

and will:

(b) have been awarded or qualified for a relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification with a grade average of at least B; or

(c) have been awarded or qualified for the Bachelor of Design (Honours) with a grade average of at least B in Part 4 courses, or equivalent; or

(d) have been awarded or qualified for the Postgraduate Diploma in Design with a grade average of at least B, or equivalent; or

(e) have been granted admission under the Admission with Equivalent Status regulations and demonstrate practical, professional and scholarly experience at an appropriate level;

and will have:

(f) been selected into the programme on the basis of an interview and assessment of a portfolio of relevant work prepared by the candidate.

Qualification requirements

2. Candidates for the Degree of Master of Design shall follow a parts-based programme of study, which shall consist of courses totalling at least 180 approved credits and include completion of Part One and Part Two. The requirements for Part One and Part Two are prescribed in the Schedule for the Qualification.

3. Notwithstanding Regulation 2, the programme of study for candidates who have been admitted under Regulations 1(c) or 1(d) shall consist of thesis courses totalling 120 credits, as prescribed in Part Two in the Schedule for the Qualification.

Specialisations

4. The Master of Design is awarded without specialisation.

Student progression

5. The Degree of Master of Design may be awarded with Distinction or Merit. The class of award will be determined by the examiners on the performance of the candidate in the Part 2 courses within the schedule.

6. For progression to Part Two of the Master of Design, candidates must have maintained a grade of at least B (GPA 5) over the 60 credits undertaken for Part One.

Completion requirements

7. The timeframes for completion as outlined in the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates will apply.

8. Candidates may be graduated when they meet the Qualification requirements within the prescribed timeframes; candidates who do not meet the requirements for graduation may, subject to the approval of Academic Board, be awarded an appropriate exit qualification, should they meet its qualification requirements.

Unsatisfactory academic progress

9. The general Unsatisfactory Academic Progress regulations will apply.

Schedule for the Master of Design

Course planning key

Prerequisites
Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions
Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.
Key terms for course planning
Courses
Each qualification has its own specific set of courses. Some universities call these papers. You enrol in courses after you get accepted into Massey.
Course code
Each course is numbered using 6 digits. The fourth number shows the level of the course. For example, in course 219206, the fourth number is a 2, so it is a 200-level course (usually studied in the second year of full-time study).
Credits
Each course is worth a number of credits. You combine courses (credits) to meet the total number of credits needed for your qualification.
Specialisations
Some qualifications let you choose what subject you'd like to specialise in. Your major or endorsement is what you will take the majority of your courses in.

Part One (Choose 60 credits from)

Research Methods (Choose 15 credits from)

Choose 15 credits from
Course code: 293731 Contextualising Creative Enterprise Practice Part 1 15 credits

An exploration of advanced critical and enterprise frameworks, and ways they may be applied to creative practice. Students work towards a proposal of a plan to take their Major Project to market, along with a text through which their Major Project is critically framed.

Prerequisites: 293730, 293702

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Course code: 293732 Creative Practice Research Methods 15 credits

Students will advance their understanding of approaches to creative practice research, methods and theory in relation to their specific practice orientation.

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Course code: 298730 Māori Research Methodologies for Creative Practice 15 credits

Students will consider tikanga and methodologies relevant to their own creative practice, which may incorporate the use of customary and/or new technologies, innovations, and knowledge. This will include developing an understanding of tikanga, ethics and accountabilities around the use of mātauranga toi Māori, mātauranga-ā-iwi, mātauranga-ā-hapū and mātauranga-a-whānau in the development of their own creative outputs. Students will be supported to locate and articulate their own creative practice in a continuum of mātauranga toi Māori.

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Project Development (Choose 30 credits from)

Choose 30 credits from
Course code: 198453 Industrial Design Research and Development 30 credits

Research methods, processes and practices for industrial design and their application through a research project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 198358 and 237330; or B- average over 198355 and 198380; or PGDipDes admission

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Course code: 212453 Fashion Design Research and Development 30 credits

Research methods, practices and processes for fashion design and their application through a research design project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 212358 and 237330; or B- average over 212381and 212310; or PGDipDes admission

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Course code: 221453 Photography Research and Development 30 credits

Research methods, practices and processes for Photographic Design and their application.

Prerequisites: B- average over 221358 and 237330; or B- average over 221370 and 221381; or PGDipDes admission

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Course code: 222453 Visual Communication Design Research and Development 30 credits

Application of research methods and processes to investigate social, cultural, aesthetic and technical issues and strategies in an approved visual communication design project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 222358 and 237330; or B- average over 222381 and one of (222302, 222311, 222321, 222331, 222341, 222356, 222371); or PGDipDes admission Restrictions: 197380 and 222451

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Course code: 223453 Textile Design Research and Development 30 credits

Research methods processes and practices for Textile Design and their application through a research project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 223358 and 237330; or B- average over 223302 and 223303; or PGDipDes admission Restrictions: 223450, 223451

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Course code: 224453 Spatial Design Research and Development 30 credits

Research methods, processes and practices for Spatial Design and their application through a research project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 224358 and 237330; or B- average over 224352 and 224381; or PGDipDes admission

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Course code: 293453 Integrated Design Research and Development 30 credits

Using integrated design strategies, explore and apply methods, processes and practices through a research investigation that incorporates diverse design approaches. Students will undertake advanced research on a project of their choice.

Prerequisites: B- average over 198358, or 212358, or 221358, or 222358, or 223358, or 224358, or 296358 and 237330

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Course code: 296453 Concept Design Research and Development 30 credits

Application of research methods and processes to investigate social, cultural, aesthetic and technical issues and strategies in an approved concept design project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 296358 and 237330

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Any 400-level or 700-level elective course from the College of Creative Arts (Prefixes: 133, 197, 198, 212, 213, 221, 222, 223, 224, 237, 293, 296, 289, 298)

Part Two (Choose 120 credits from)

Choose 120 credits from
Course code: 197800 Design Thesis 120 credits

Preparation of a thesis consisting of an advanced design-led research project and an exegesis to satisfy the requirements of the Master of Design qualification.

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Course code: 197802 Design Thesis 120 Credit Part 1 60 credits

Preparation of a thesis consisting of an advanced design-led research project and an exegesis to satisfy the requirements of the Master of Design qualification.

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Course code: 197803 Design Thesis 120 Credit Part 2 60 credits

Preparation of a thesis consisting of an advanced design-led research project and an exegesis to satisfy the requirements of the Master of Design qualification.

Corequisites: 197802

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