We strive to create a cohort of people from diverse backgrounds with complementary skills who can learn from each other and contribute to the culture of the program.
Who Should Apply
Admission to the IPD program is competitive. We welcome applicants who aren’t satisfied with the status quo, enjoy working in a collaborative environment, naturally make connections, and are passionate about their work.
Prior to the matriculation in the M:IPD or MSE:IPD degree programs, candidates should have a background in one of the three areas: business, design arts, or engineering. Students applying to the MSE:IPD program must have a background in engineering.
*The M:IPD and the MSE:IPD degree programs are both STEM programs. IPD’s CIP code is 15.1502.
Application Deadline for 2025 entry is Feb 3, 2025
The application deadline for 2025 entry is February 3, 2025. Applications are NOT reviewed on a rolling basis. The Admission Committee will begin reviewing applications promptly after February 3rd. First round admission decisions will be released after March 15th. IPD does utilize a wait-list process. Applicants on the wait-list will not receive a decision update until after April 15th.
Learn More About Applying
New applicants are welcome to visit the University to learn more about IPD during one of our Open Houses or register for an upcoming Session hosted by Graduate Admissions. If you are a current Penn undergraduate student and would like to apply for the M:IPD or the MSE:IPD, please reference the Internal Applicant information. If you are a current Penn graduate student who would like to apply to the IPD Certificate, please see the School of Design website.
Submit your application online.
Have questions? Reach out to us today.
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Application Requirements
Below is a summary of the application requirements along with specific guidance for IPD applicants. Please visit Graduate Admissions for more details.
- Curriculum Vitae or Resume
- Personal statement of research and professional interests (2 page limit). IPD applicants are encouraged to write a personal statement that addresses both of the questions below, or submit a statement of their own design.
- Why are you applying to IPD? Why is it the right choice for you right now?
- What do you believe you can achieve with us personally or professionally that you can’t anywhere else in the world?
- Two (2) official letters of recommendation (one should be from a faculty member who is familiar with the candidate’s scholarly abilities)
- Portfolio (more details below) is REQUIRED.
- Transcripts
- Unofficial Transcripts – submitted with application
- Official Transcript – submitted when offer of admission is received
- Submission of GRE/GMAT scores is currently optional. If you have taken the GMAT/GRE and have valid scores, we encourage you to submit them. However, if you are unable to take the exam, rest assured that your application will still be reviewed holistically without any negative impact. Please use the following institution codes when submitting your scores: 2888 for the GRE and G56-1P-16 for the GMAT. To ensure your scores are considered, we must receive your official scores by the application deadline.
- If you are an international applicant or a non-US citizen or permanent resident and English is not your native language, you must submit official scores for (1) the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL- recommended score of at least 100), (2) the International English Language Testing System (IELTS recommended score of at least 7.5), or (3) Duolingo English Test (DET recommended scores of at least 135). More information and the test waiver policy can be found here.
- Non-refundable application fee
Portfolio
Applicants to the Integrated Product Design program must submit a visual portfolio of their work.
The goal of the portfolio is to demonstrate your ability to think conceptually and analytically, showcase your ability to tell a story visually, and tell us about your work. We’re also very interested in your work process — how you do the work and why you made the decisions that you made.
The admissions committee is aware that students from different backgrounds will have different kinds of portfolios. The committee looks for students who have experience in design, engineering or business and aptitude in the other two disciplines.
- A PDF document of no more than twenty 8.5 x 11″ pages should be submitted (portfolio or landscape) or a PDF document that includes your name and a link to your online portfolio, provided your online portfolio adheres to the requirements specified here.
- Please submit at least four projects (two of which should be individual projects) and no more than six.
- The file size of the PDF should not exceed 10 MB.
- Please assume that the admissions team is reviewing your portfolios on a laptop therefore we recommend choosing a font size to be easily read in that format.
- All work should be identified as academic, professional, or personal.
- If professional or team projects are included in the portfolio, the specific role and responsibility of the applicant in the production of the project must be clearly identified.
- Applicants should provide a form of locating reference for all articles, patents, etc if referred to in your application, such as bibliographical data, patent number etc.
- The applicant’s full contact information should appear on the first page, and their name on each subsequent page of the submission.