Last modified: 11.07.05

The School of Design places great emphasis on interdisciplinary study and offers a series of both dual degree options and certificates to enable students to take their creative and intellectual study and research in-depth across conventional departmental or program boundaries. Students may pursue two Master’s Degrees concurrently by participating in a dual degree program. Dual degree options exist between programs within PennDesign as well as between PennDesign and other schools in the University. Dual degree applicants must apply and be accepted to each program. Students who have been admitted to one program may apply for admission to a second program within the first year of beginning their studies. If admitted, students must work with the Chair of the respective programs to agree upon the sequence and timing of courses to be taken. Each department/program designates an advisor for its dual degree and certificate programs. The dual degree and degree plus certificate programs may involve joint courses, studios or independent studies in which the student can be expected to address issues that emerge from and engage both areas of study. Some of these cross-disciplinary opportunities are built into the dual degree programs. However, others will be determined on an individual basis or according to the changing annual schedules of course and studio offerings.

All dual degree students in programs offered within the School of Design are required to complete an electronic advising worksheet accessible via Penn In Touch and have it approved by each department’s chairperson. Dual degree students in programs in coordination with other schools must file an approved study plan with the Office of Records and Registration, 110 Meyerson Hall, within the first term of matriculation into the dual degree program.

Interdisciplinary requirement: In cases where dual degree students are not required to complete a joint interdisciplinary thesis or final project, each student will be required to submit one upper level course or studio project, taken in either department (or program), to advisors in both departments as evidence of an investigation simultaneously broaching topics in both disciplines.

Credit earned in a course taken jointly may apply towards both degrees, or degree and certificate. A course cannot be used to fulfill more than two requirements.

Certificates may be undertaken once a student has been admitted into a graduate degree program.

For dual degree programs offered within the School of Design, the amount of aid, both need- and merit-based, offered by one Department will be maintained by the second Department participating in a given dual degree program.

Students in dual degree programs will graduate when all courses, in both programs, have been satisfactorily completed.