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Master of Science in Engineering in Integrated Product Design

MSE:IPD Degree

Who's It For?

MSE:IPD applicants are engineers who want to work in entrepreneurial contexts, spending as much of their time defining the problem as they do resolving the solution. The MSE:IPD curriculum is designed to provide students with an engineering background with the tools to apply that background to product design problems.

Academic Focus

The MSE:IPD teaches students design processes to generate creative ideas, rapid prototyping techniques and how to creatively resolve tensions between design, engineering and business criteria.

The courses provide students with the opportunity to build greater skills in engineering disciplines related to product design while helping them contextualize those skills as a part of the product design process. MSE:IPD students master methods for prototyping, fabrication, manufacturing, and computer-aided design. They complement their strength in engineering with a new skills in business and design arts.

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.

Outcome

MSE:IPD graduates are engineers with a passion for technology, innovation, and product design. They bridge the gap between form and function, translating customer needs and business needs into design criteria and technical specs. They implement new technologies to create impactful products and experiences that enhance people’s lives.

Core Curriculum

The curriculum is comprised of 6 core courses and 4 additional courses, one in design, one in business and two in engineering. Since the program is cross-disciplinary, students who do not have the requisite background in the design arts and marketing/finance, may be required to enroll in additional foundational courses in these areas.

The core curriculum is comprised of 6 foundational courses that are required of all students regardless of their undergraduate degree:

  • IPD 551: Design Process (1st Semester) (1 CU)
  • IPD 552: Problem Framing (2nd Semester) (1 CU)
  • IPD 799: Final Project (3rd Semester) (1 CU)
  • IPD 799: Final Project (4th Semester) (1 CU)
  • MEAM 514: Design for Manufacturability (1 CU)
  • MEAM 510: Design of Mechatronic Systems (1 CU)

For more information about design, engineering and business courses see the Course Directory. For guidance on the policies and procedures that govern the program see the  IPD Guidelines.

Student Testimonials

During my first IPD course, I sat between the owner of a cycling business and a MedTech strategist kick-starting her career in device design. Never before had I shared a classroom with a more diverse group of learners. Idea sharing in the IPD studio taught me to speak the language of design and to collaborate with colleagues with a wide range of cultural and educational experiences. In my career, I engage with mechanical engineers like myself, but also researchers, industrial designers, and manufacturers from around the world. Though our roles are different, we are united in our mission to create powerful and accessible consumer electronics for everyday life. I am constantly speaking the language of design that I learned in IPD.
Coming from a mechanical engineering background, this program really taught me how to approach problems from an empathetic standpoint allowing me to break free from the more rigid problem solving methods previously learned in my career. This not only gave me freedom to derive insanely creative solutions, but ultimately understand the root cause I was working to remedy with a product or service.
Jonah ArnheimMSE:IPD 2020
Zac BensingMSE:IPD 2018

MSE:IPD Sample Schedule

A student entering into the MSE:IPD program might take the following courses:

Summer Year 1
  • IPD 503

    Product Design Fundamentals

Fall Year 1
Spring Year 1
Fall Year 2
  • IPD 798

    Final Project 1

    Course Detail >

  • Engineering Elective

  • Business Elective

Spring Year 2
Obtain Your Masters at UPenn’s Product Design School

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.

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