Cranfield University named as one of the world’s best design schoolsCranfield University has been named by BusinessWeek as one of the ‘World’s Best Design Schools’ for its Master of Design (MDes) in Innovation and Creativity in Industry - this course was launched in 2008 in collaboration with the University of the Arts London (UAL). It was in BusinessWeek’s recent special report on Design Thinking, which discusses how to educate the design thinkers and innovators of the future, that Cranfield University was featured. The report highlights the importance of integrating design thinking in business, but recognises there is currently no standard approach to teaching these techniques, a skill that businesses are fast realising can hold the key to gaining a competitive edge. Cranfield’s MDes programme, one of only three courses in the UK to make the list, was selected for its multidisciplinary approach. On the programme, students undertake management modules within the Cranfield School of Management, technology and engineering modules with the university’s School of Applied Sciences, and study creative techniques in the Centre for Competitive Creative Design (C4D) - a joint venture between Cranfield and UAL. The programme was launched last year in response to increasing recognition by government and industry of the need to enhance the role of creativity in all aspects of business. It has already gained recognition within industry, forging links with well established and diverse organisations such as Proctor and Gamble, National Health Service, Imagination Ltd, Xerox and Ford. Course director for the Cranfield MDes programme, Mike Goatman, says, ‘The MDes course is designed to develop graduates with the ability to recognise where an organisation’s creative strengths lie and enhance business processes to improve competitive advantage. More and more companies are realising the benefits of a design thinking approach, and our students will be well placed to take advantage of this trend.’ To compile this ranking, BusinessWeek’s panel of 42 academics, designers, consultants, and business managers reduced a list of 115 masters and MBA programmes that combine design thinking and business administration to just 30. For more information about the Master of Design in Innovation and Creativity in Industry, visit www.cranfield.ac.uk/sas/mdes. Further information on C4D is available at www.centrefordesign.co.uk. Content added on 7th October 2009. |
    |