MICA’s Social Design Center is dedicated to demonstrating and promoting the value of design in advancing equity and social justice, and to inspiring and preparing the next generation of creative change-makers.
The Social Design Center is the culmination of ten years of pioneering and experimental work to define and demonstrate new models of social design* education and practice.
Our efforts have been strengthened by more than a decade of collaboration with public and social sector partners across Baltimore. social literacy This allows us to better understand the issues of equity, power, race, and privilege that lie at the heart of the social issues we seek to address.
Our work breaks down barriers between disciplines and enables truly interdisciplinary work. We are committed to expanding opportunities for all MICA students to further their knowledge. design literacy, focuses on learning new methods and processes for involving people in creation and activity, as well as formal design skills and disciplines such as graphic design and architecture. That is human-centered design*.
practice-based studio
In our award-winning, practice-based studio, students from a variety of disciplines collaborate with external partners in government, nonprofits, and the business sector to identify opportunities, generate ideas, and develop ideas for positive social change. Create tools for. To date, MICA has attracted more than 500 students across 12 disciplines and collaborated with external partners on more than 100 projects.
Master’s degree in Social Design
The Master of Social Design (MASD) is an intensive one-year graduate program based on the philosophy of practice-based learning, combining both theory and practice, action and reflection. The first degree program of its kind, our curriculum introduces students to the broad theoretical framework of social design, exposes them to various models of social impact, immerses them in human-centered design processes, and Prepare your core. A set of skills needed to pursue professional opportunities in social design practice.
graduate associate
Our Graduate Associate opportunity offers selected MASD graduates a one-year paid associate position in the Center for Social Design to continue building their professional practice. Employees are embedded in funded projects with external partners and serve as mentors for current Her MASD students.
Impactful initiatives
Our impact initiatives are designed to deepen our engagement with external partners and strengthen our efforts to change the power structures and relationships that enable systemic injustice and inequity at local, national, and international levels. These are long-term, multi-year projects and initiatives that are fully funded.
*What is social design?
Social design is a creative practice dedicated to understanding social issues and supporting positive social change. Social design alone will not solve social problems. Social design creates opportunities to change relationships between people and people and organizations, supporting positive social change.
*What is human-centered design?
Human-centered design (HCD) is a collaborative, creative process dedicated to understanding people’s needs and designing interventions that better meet their needs. HCD complements and enhances existing research and views issues through the perspective of those directly affected. HCD is informed by qualitative insights and is growing as part of a series of interdisciplinary approaches, imagining new possibilities and possibilities. HCD positions lived experience as expertise and involves people at every stage of the design process as co-creators and experts.