Design Management @ Ryerson U - feedback?

Design Discussions students and schools
1

I have a BID with a minor in business and have been working as a product designer (softgoods) for 4 years. I have an opportunity through my company to take further education courses related to my position (tuition fees for approved courses are covered 80%) and I’m looking to start a new class in the fall. I am considering courses from the Design Management continuing education program at Ryerson U in Toronto. Home | The Chang School of Continuing Education - Toronto Metropolitan University

I plan to attend the info night this Thursday for more details, but was wondering if anyone in the Core community has taken courses from this program. If so, what did you find the most valuable / enjoy the most? Are the courses relevant? Were there limitations of the courses / topics missing / sufficient depth?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

2

I think you’ll not have much direct experience response, me included.

This program seems very muddled, certainly not synergistic. Only the first two courses listed seem to be both clear and address design business education. The other courses seem adjunct to non-design disciplines.

Understanding the management of design business is a fundamental mix of creative and technical issues, project and corporate goals, contracts and terms and conditions, financial issues, intangible issues like inspiration and crisis management, and good old managment of people - by far the most difficult issue.

If you aren’t exposed to learning and contributing to those issues in your work then try the applicable individual courses at Ryerson. As a certificate program it doesn’t seem worthwhile.

3

I totally agree. If I did pursue these courses, I would focus on CCDM 101 Intro to Design Management and CCDM 102 Design Management II. The other courses needed to complete the certificate seem better suited to non-designers and felt like they would be redundant or uninsightful for someone with my school / work background. That’s why I decided to reach out on these boards - I wanted an “unbiased” opinion, a point of view that I might not find at the Ryerson info night.
Thanks.