Design@Large

An important avenue for professional development in the MDes program is students’ participation in Design@Large during the summer between their second and third semesters. Design@Large is an immersive professional development experience that enables all MDes students to explore potential career directions and gain important professional skills while they are pursuing the degree. Students identify and engage in an experience outside of an MDes course or studio and apply what they have learned in a broader context, whether that’s through an internship, academic research, an independent project, a new start-up, or working in the public sector.

The Design@Large degree requirement is uniquely defined by each student’s own interests and career goals, and may be satisfied by:

  • securing an industry internship,
  • contributing to a research project,
  • launching or contributing to a new start-up or business, 
  • leading an independent or collaborative project,
  • working in a government, service, or non-profit organization,
  • teaching, mentoring, or volunteering,
  • engaging in an immersive, community-based experience, and/or
  • a combination of different experiences in the above categories 

Regardless of the details, this should be a robust learning experience; students should plan to devote at least 240 hours (the equivalent of working full-time for 6 weeks) to their Design@Large experiences.

The MDes program provides career coaching, specific programming, and other resources to aid students in their pursuits. It is each student’s responsibility, however, to define and identify their Design@Large experience.

Students are  required to demonstrate the completion of the Design@Large requirement by presenting on their experience to the incoming MDes cohort at the start of fall semester.

Examples Of Design@Large Experiences

Industry Internship Examples

  • Product Design Validation Engineer Intern @ Apple
  • VR/AR Consultant @ Accenture
  • Design Technologist @ Logitech
  • Product Design Intern @ Autodesk
  • Product Strategy Intern @ Method
  • User Experience Design Intern @ Google
  • Product Design Prototype Intern @ Meta
  • Interaction Designer @ IA Collaborative
  • Design Intern @ IDEO Shanghai
  • Product Designer @ Duolingo
  • Design Intern – Pokemon Plastics @ Jazwares LLC
  • Product Design Intern @ The Washington Post
  • Product Design Engineer Intern @ Tact Product Development, Inc.
  • UX Design Intern @ Microsoft
  • Product Design Intern @ Uber
  • Product Design Intern @ Paramount
  • UX Design Intern @ Tesla
  • Service Designer @ IBM
  • Experience Design Intern @ Adobe
  • Research Intern @ Microsoft
  • Technologist @ 10xBeta
  • Digital Sculptor Intern @ General Motors
  • UX Design Intern @ Amazon
  • Product Design Intern @ Squarespace
  • Product Design Intern @ LinkedIn

Government and Non-Profit Internship Examples

  • Community Engagement Intern @ Ninth Root 510. Working on the Sacred Spaces project, a community-led revitalization of a shoreline park to create a climate resilient and culturally relevant space for the East Oakland community.
  • Food Systems Researcher @ African Alliance of Rhode Island. Conducting research and taking on design and advocacy work to promote the African foodways movement in Rhode Island.
  • Aeronautics Design Sprint Intern @ NASA
  • Visitor Experience Research Intern @ SFMOMA

Research Examples

  • Visiting Student @ MIT Media Lab, Fluid Interface Group. Working on the development of interactive prototypes related to Extended Reality (XR), Generative AI, wearables, and physiological signals or biosignals sensing.
  • Development of Open-Source, Accessible Tech for Blind and Low-Vision Individuals with Joshua Miele, MacArthur Fellow and Principal Accessibility Researcher at Amazon Lab126.
  • Research Intern @ Center for Autism, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Working towards development of better interventions for people with severe autism.
  • Visiting Student @ Everyday Design Studio, Simon Fraser University. Focused on HCI research. Conducted academic research on the “Design for After-Life” design concept, investigated innovative strategies for developing decomposable batteries.
  • Graduate Student Researcher @ FHL Vive Center for Enhanced Reality, UC Berkeley. Developing 3D Object Tracking Pipeline and Digital Twin Dataset based on iPhone LiDAR.
  • Researcher @ Hybrid Ecologies Lab, UC Berkeley. Collaborating with a PhD student on Gossamer, developing smart fabrics.

Startup Examples

  • Launching an award-winning design studio, BroadAR, developing Smell Revived, the first virtual reality smell training system targeting Post-COVID smell dysfunction.
  • Participating in Berkeley Skydeck program as Co-Founder of Frida, an online platform designed to support divorced women in achieving financial independence.
  • Participating in Berkeley Skydeck program as CEO/Co-Founder of Empathie, a mental health app that teaches Asian Americans how to navigate tough life situations involving family, work, self-criticism, and other life stresses.

Teaching Examples

  • Lead Design Educator @ Design X
  • Instructor Assistant for VR @ Mission Bits (held at Meta HQ)
  • Graduate Student Instructor for the Maker Launchpad Program @ Jacobs Institute
  • STEAM Camp Instructor @ iD Tech