MSc Systems Design Management

University of Bristol

MSc Systems Design Management is an interdisciplinary programme which sits at the interface of business, design, and engineering, which will provide you with the necessary skills to design and develop optimal and sustainable solutions for organisational and societal problems.The programme focuses on managing design strategy, processes, and implementation, applying the thinking and practices of designers to organisational challenges. We welcome graduates from varied backgrounds and offers opportunities to apply design management skills while engaging with diverse perspectives.You will be based in a vibrant city well-renowned for its business (for example, PWC, Hargreaves Lansdown), engineering (for example, Airbus, Babcock, Frazer-Nash, GKN, OVO Energy, and Rolls-Royce) and the arts (for example, BBC, Wallace and Gromit, Glastonbury, and Banksy).The MSc Systems Design Management is built on the integration of business, design and engineering. Unlike most programmes that connect only two of these fields, it brings all three together in a genuinely interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the combined expertise of the Business School, the School of Arts, and the Faculty of Science and Engineering.At the start of your programme, you will choose one of the following pathways:Design for Advanced ManufacturingDesign for SustainabilityDesign for CreativityThe curriculum is designed to ensure that you do not only learn fundamental principles of business, design, and engineering (such as, systems thinking, design thinking, creativity, and sustainable business models), but also learn to identify, evaluate and apply these skills in various organisational scenarios where interdisciplinary teams are involved.The interdisciplinary approach will enable you to connect business and management knowledge with design and engineering, promoting an understanding of how organisations can develop optimal and sustainable solutions to the world's global challenges.You will work on industry-linked projects, group assignments, presentations, and applications of design and systems thinking to real organisational and societal challenges. A systems approach maps the interaction of social, economic, environmental, and technological factors, fostering collaboration across disciplines, sectors and stakeholders. These experiences develop leadership, communication and teamwork, while the emphasis on hands-on learning ensures you are ready to apply your knowledge in practice.We feel our programme is unique because:Unlike most programmes that link only two disciplines such as business and design, design and engineering, or business and engineering, MSc Systems Design Management integrates all three: business, design, and engineering.It is taught across two Faculties and four Schools, with units co-designed and delivered by academics and practitioners from multiple disciplines.It offers three pathways: advanced manufacturing, sustainability, and design for creativity, selected to match industry demand, future trends, and global needs, enabling students to tailor their studies while gaining strategic insight.Its curriculum combines business and management, creativity and design thinking, engineering design and manufacture, and systems thinking.It offers knowledge and skills in Business and Management, Creativity and Design thinking, Engineering Design and Manufacture, and Systems Thinking.You'll experience a high degree of industry engagement from conception through to delivery.