Welcome to UC Berkeley, MDes2027 Admitted Students!

Students, faculty, alumni and staff in the MDes community send you a warm welcome from Jacobs Hall at UC Berkeley.

Congratulations on your recommendation to be admitted to the Berkeley Master of Design (MDes)! We are thrilled to welcome you as admitted students in our program’s sixth cohort. 

After getting to know you through your applications and interviews, we are confident that you will make great contributions to our program and believe that we are the right place for you to continue your growth as a creative technologist. Here at Berkeley, you and your peers will explore how to lead the way in designing the thoughtful technologies of tomorrow.

On this page, you will find admitted student resources; ways to connect with your future classmates, faculty, and staff advisors; and important dates and tasks to help you prepare for your Berkeley MDes education.

 


MDES ADMITTED STUDENTS WEEK

We would like to invite you to join us for MDes Admitted Students Week on March 16-20th, 2026 to help you learn more about the people and resources in the MDes and at UC Berkeley.

Event Recordings and Slides
*You can see the transcript of recordings by turning on closed captioning 

March 16th, 9-10am: MDes Admitted Students Welcome Forum
See slides and recording

Event Description: At this first event, MDes faculty, students, and staff will officially welcome you as members of the admitted MDes2027 cohort! You’ll get an inside look at the MDes program, upcoming admit events and resources, and discuss how MDes can support your academic and career goals.

March 17th, 9-10am: MDes Student x Admit Chats
See slides and recording

Event Description: Students from the MDes2026 cohort will co-host this admits and students-only chat. Join the event to meet current MDes students from various disciplines and learn more about their perspectives on the MDes program.

March 18th, 9-11am: Virtual Campus Visit Day
See slides and recording

Event Description: At Virtual Visit Day, we will present some of the key academic and student resources that you will be able to access as a MDes student. You will hear from MDes faculty about their course instruction and research, MDes students and alumni about their career journies, and get an overview of the studio and Makerspace resources in Jacobs Hall.

March 18th, 5-6pm: Funding Resources Workshop
See slides and recording

Event Description: This session will provide an overview of funding resources available to MDes students, with a focus on reviewing academic student employee positions that provide fee remission.

March 19th, 12-8:30pm: Campus Visit Day
See slides

Event Description: Join us in Berkeley for Campus Visit Day to meet program faculty, current students, and staff, sit in on a MDes class, get tours of the MDes Studio and makerspaces, attend a program social, and picture your life here as a future MDes student.

In addition to these admit events, we invite you to join some of the ongoing events hosted by members of the UC Berkeley design community; some of these events below are hosted online, so you can access them wherever you are.


CONNECT WITH THE MDES COMMUNITY

In addition to the admit events previewed above, we invite you to connect with your peers and other members of the MDes community through the following channels:

You can also learn more about the Berkeley MDes by:


WHAT NEXT?

This section provides key resources to help you prepare for your Berkeley MDes education, after you have submitted your Statement of Intent to Register by April 15th.

PREPARING FOR BERKELEY

FUNDING YOUR EDUCATION

KEY DATES & EVENTS

Below are just some of the events and opportunities that await you as an incoming MDes2026 student. We will share more details and other events, such as workshops, as the summer approaches.

  • First week of June: New students gain access to Handshake, which is the Berkeley Career Engagement’s platform for job postings, career events, etc.
  • JUL 17: New graduate students can begin registering for Fall 2026 courses
  • Mid-AUG: Berkeley Graduate Division campus orientation activities (optional)
  • Hold Aug 21, 24 & 25: MDes Orientation (required, in-person, on campus) – the full schedule and details will be shared this summer; be sure to save these dates for now.
  • AUG 26: MDes & UC Berkeley classes begin (in-person, on campus)

QUESTIONS?

Email mdes@berkeley.edu and a member of our admissions team will respond.

We also invite you to speak with members of our faculty, staff, and student body:

 

Begin designing your Berkeley MDes experience today!