When I did my MFA in design at Yale, I did freelance work to help with the bills, etc. I will say, for my personality and way of working, keeping a foot in the "working world" during grad school was critical. It provided an essential perspective school didn't and an outlet to explore what I was learning and experiencing to real client/customer challenges. In this way, it dramatically enhanced my education. I sympathize with the argument advocating for dedicated focus on school, but that wasn't the path I chose and I think it served me well.
- chris -----Original Message----- >From: "j. eric townsend" <[email protected]> >Sent: Feb 25, 2009 12:42 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Why are there no "Executive MFA / IxD" programs? >(response to RPI online HCI program phase out) > >(No research here, just my personal experience/opinion....) > >I worked my way through college for my first undergrad degree (BA >Journalism/CS, took me 7 years) and tried to work while going to school >for my second degree (BFA ID). I finally gave in and took unpaid leave >to get a Master's, and I'm very glad I went this route. I'm getting so >much more out of classes now that I can focus %100 of my time and energy >on learning/trying/doing instead of having work interruptions and >continual context shifts. > >Also, I've taken classes with people in the MFA Interaction Design >program at CMU, and I think part of the value is that you focus on >nothing but school and research for two years. I know that some of the >students keep part-time jobs, but I honestly believe they're missing out >on some important experiences in the studio when they're not doing >assignments. > >IMHO, if you have the choice of not working and living on loans and >getting the degree in 2 years, do it. Having the mental freedom to >think wide and deep is worth it in the long run. > >Phil Chung wrote: >> Interesting, I didn't know online HCI grad programs even existed. >> >> On a related note, I do wish that a premier design school (e.g. RISD, Art >> Center, SVA, New School, CMU) would step up and address the need for online >> / part-time IxD "executive MFA" program for practitioners, along the >> executive MBA model with a mix of online learning and on campus sessions. >> Forgive me if I've overlooked an existing program, but it seems (just based >> on this discussion list) that there is a significant demand for this option, >> particularly with the current economic pressures. Employed designers could >> leverage company sponsorship to work towards their "executive MFA" using >> online materials with infrequent on campus (2-3 all weekend sessions per >> semester) crits / intensive workshops to address the need for face-to-face >> interaction. It seems like the field has matured to a point where programs >> like this should exist, does it not? >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ >> From: Becky Reed <[email protected]> >> To: sharon <[email protected]>; IxDA <[email protected]> >> Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 11:45:52 AM >> Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute phasing out >> online HCI program >> >> I wonder how much of it goes back to findability and information >> architecture (but I can be a little biased thinking most problems come back >> to these things). >> >> Placement in search engine isn't really high (and didn't even seem them for >> "online hci program" and the like) and then the description provided seemed >> accidental and had an odd subdomained URL that didn't give you the >> university's name or program in it. >> >> When you go to the program site you arrive at from some of the more obscure >> search terms, I didn't see a mention of format (online vs oncampus). There >> was a link for "working professionals". Mmmm...here's the mention: "live >> on-campus and, by electronic means". I guess in the months I spent searching >> for an online program I never Googled for "masters program HCI electronic >> means". >> >> In my experience, disambiguating on-campus only programs from distance ones >> was a challenge. Trying to winnow them down via search engine alone was >> impossible and even as noted above...it was kind of a treasure hunt on their >> program sites. >> >> I went with an barely online Human Factors program through U of Idaho last >> year and would have certainly looked at Rensselaer's HCI program as I could >> have taken it "by electronic means". >> >> Becky >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of sharon >> Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 4:23 PM >> To: IxDA >> Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute phasing out online >> HCI program >> >> Why is noone interested in this program? >> There are only two online HCI programs to my knowledge - Rensselaer's >> and Brigham Young University. >> RPI's name has cachet and prestige. I know some nuclear engineers who >> graduated from RPI - smart school for smart people. >> >> I think they are phasing the online HCI program out because they >> didn't have enough applicants. >> Does no one have an interest in working while getting a degree remotely? >> >> Just checking the temperature here... >> ________________________________________________________________ >> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >> To post to this list ....... [email protected] >> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help >> >> >> ________________________________________________________________ >> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >> To post to this list ....... [email protected] >> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________________________________________ >> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >> To post to this list ....... [email protected] >> Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >> List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >> List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help >> > > >-- >J. Eric "jet" Townsend, CMU Master of Tangible Interaction Design '09 > >design: www.allartburns.org; hacking: www.flatline.net; HF: KG6ZVQ >PGP: 0xD0D8C2E8 AC9B 0A23 C61A 1B4A 27C5 F799 A681 3C11 D0D8 C2E8 >________________________________________________________________ >Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >To post to this list ....... [email protected] >Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
