The perennial and the particular challenges of design education

Abstract

Education in design shares with other disciplines a number of perennial challenges, including the need to transfer human culture, the choice of what parts of human culture to transfer and the decision as to what approaches work best in accomplishing that transfer. Design education also faces particular challenges, which are shared with only a few other disciplines. These are a predisposition towards the future, the increasing necessity of interdisciplinary approaches and the value for students in participating early in the culture of research. I argue for curricular advancements to accommodate each of these factors, including in particular a design PhD modeled on the humanities. Finally, I emphasize the importance of providing students with sufficient time to reflect.