Transcripts from Prior Institutions
Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities from which you have earned credit or have received a degree and should include your name, the school name, degree, major, degree date if awarded, and a semester-by-semester course breakdown with corresponding grades. Transcripts not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation. All transcripts must be uploaded directly into the application.
Letters of Recommendation
Applicants are required to obtain three letters of recommendation, ideally at least two from college or university instructors. If you have been out of school for several years, you may request letters from employers or other persons in a position to evaluate your professional abilities and academic potential.
Essays
Essay prompts vary by program and Domain and are only available in the graduate application. Applicants must submit responses to the general GSD community essay and any required program and Domain specific essays.
MDes Narratives applicants must submit a writing sample in addition to required essays.
Portfolio
MDes portfolios should specifically reference methods, media, and models (physical and intellectual, digital and analog, historic and contemporary, built and proposed) that demonstrate spatial fluency and intellectual depth in contemporary research questions and critical areas of inquiry.
MDes portfolios should specifically reference methods, media, and models (physical and intellectual, digital and analog, historic and contemporary, built and proposed) that demonstrate spatial fluency and intellectual depth in contemporary research questions and critical areas of inquiry.
MDes portfolios should consist of scholarly, academic, and/or professional work, and at your discretion, may or may not include visual material as related to the proposed research.
Resume
Upload a resume or CV that includes full and part-time employment, education, fellowships, extra-curricular university activities, community service, honors, awards, professional registration and societies, publications, avocations, hobbies, and travel. If you served in the military, indicate rank on entry and rank on separation. Please provide a complete employment and educational history, including information about any gaps. While brevity is valued, please do not feel limited to one page.
GRE (optional)
GRE scores are optional for MDes applicants. If you have not taken the GRE and have not submitted scores, the weight of other components of your application will be spread across your materials during the review process. Your application will not be disadvantaged if you choose not to submit GRE scores.
We recommend considering how GRE scores may be of benefit to your application. For example, they can be used to balance a lower than average GPA or to demonstrate competency in a particular area such as mathematics.
Selecting a Domain of Study
MDes applicants will select one of the four Domains of study (Ecologies, Mediums, Narratives, Publics) within the application and will be reviewed by the committee for consideration in that Domain only. Applicants can only apply to one Domain in a given application cycle and cannot switch to a different Domain if admitted.
TOEFL
International students, except those with citizenship from a country where English is the native language, must take the TOEFL test and submit official scores to the GSD. Official TOEFL scores are due by the application deadline. Appropriate English proficiency is incredibly important for success at the GSD, and so we encourage applicants to diligently prepare for the TOEFL to achieve your highest possible score.
Preferred Score
104 overall with a 26 in each section
Minimum Score
92 overall with a 23 in each section
Choosing an MDes Domain
The MDes is the most flexible program at the GSD, offering ample opportunity to explore key topics in your area of interest. It is interdisciplinary by design, inviting students to cross-register in courses across the GSD, other schools at Harvard, and MIT.
MDes applicants will select one of the four Domains of study (Ecologies, Mediums, Narratives, Publics) within the application and will be reviewed by the committee for consideration in that Domain only. While cross-registration and interdisciplinary study is encouraged across Domains and is a cornerstone of the MDes program, applicants should carefully consider which Domain best suits their interests before applying. Applicants can only apply to one Domain in a given application cycle and cannot switch to a different Domain if admitted. There are a few steps you can take to gain a better sense of the Domains as you are considering an application.