Hello, IxDA'ers. I have a couple of questions regarding design schools and career shifts, and I'm hoping to get some advice from those of you in the field.
1) I'm interested in shifting my career more in the direction of (interaction) design, and so I'm considering going back to school for a master's in the area. I'm hesitant, though, because I already have a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology. Also, not including my time in school, I have maybe 6 years of professional experience in somewhat related areas -- namely, human factors, HCI, and usability research. However, although I've done a little bit of actual design (mainly interaction, some graphical) over those years, my portfolio isn't extensive, and except for one online course, I haven't had any formal design training, no studio experience, etc. Hence, I'm thinking design school might be a good option, but I'm also wondering if that might be overkill, given that I already have a doctorate (albeit in a different field). Is there perhaps a better way to get the skills? For example, can the skills be developed to the same level, albeit more slowly, by instead taking one design course a semester outside of work? 2) Cost of tuition is an issue, because I already have student loans that I'm paying off. Fortunately, though, I'm currently living in Scandinavia, and public universities out here and elsewhere in Europe tend to be either free or cheap. I'm considering the following schools, then, and I'm wondering if any of you might happen to know anything about the reputation of the different programs: Umea Insititute of Design, Sweden MA in Interaction Design http://www.dh.umu.se/default.asp?ML=10447 Cologne (Koln) International School of Design, Germany MA in Integrated Design http://kisd.de/studyprograms.html?&lang=en Malmo University, Sweden MA in Interaction Design http://www.edu.mah.se/TAIND/ University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland Media Lab MA in New Media (not specifically interaction design, but related) http://mlab.taik.fi/ Thanks if you've read this far, and for any help you can give. Mike ________________________________________________________________ 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
