Mech eng + 5yrs exp . want to do Masters in ID

Design Discussions students and schools
1

Hi…
I have read through many many posts and I somehow manage to still be confused :slight_smile: . I need advice … unfortunately i need it fast :unamused:

Background > From India. Mech engineer + 5yrs experience in QA in a digital manufacturing firm

Aim > eagerly want to become a designer . so want to do Masters in ID. I want to create innovative products of all kinds.

Current situation > I can sketch well. i just love sketching. dont get bored at all doing it. Doing concept sketches , I am slow. but I can pick up things really quick.always had a knack for that. I just need some guidance, I am very sure with which I can get really good. I want to get that in my masters program. . Have a portfolio with only sketches. mostly pencil. :confused:

I am attaching an image of my sketch. its old and the only one scanned.
[img]

I know a few CAD software > Rhinoceros (did my engineering project in Prod dev using Rhino for concept creation. thats where the ID bug bit me :smiley: ) , CATIA V5 and V6. not very good at AUTOCAD, Pro-E, Flash, Photoshop, CorelDrawX4, Google Sketchup, but I can work on them. and as I have been exposed to working with 3D softwares as a part of my job, I can pick up most of them easily.

Written TOEFL . got a good score. 108(iBT)

Schools to apply > I have shortlisted the following schools based on Fees, dead lines & ranks. I have not chosen very highly ranked schools for fear of rejection.

  1. Georgia Tech MID … lastdate feb1
  2. University of Illinois at Chicago MFA in ID … lastdate feb1

Are they good? I want to apply to 2 more colleges. but I am not too sure. I will not be able to study if I dont get financial aid after 1semister.

How is SCAD(lastdate feb1) ? fees is high ! if I get a scholarship, would it be worth it ?

tempted to apply to Art Center College of Design (lastdate feb1) . but its ranked very high and even the fees is high. and I have no clue if they give any financial aid.

can someone help me with my situation. I would be very glad…
[/img]

2

for a change of career, the Bachelors is a better suited degree.
Plan on 3 years of grad school to be at parity with undergraduates.

Apply to more and highly ranked schools.
If you can make a convincing argument that your’e qualified to teach undergraduate ID kids: manufacturing, materials, human factors/ergonomics, statistics, prototyping, etc. you can probably get assistantships for each year = half, to full costs of school.

3

do another bachelors ?? no… I am not too sure of that.

and are u suggesting that I do Masters in a school that has a 3yr grad program ? for eg., like Georgia .tech ? if so … ya… I think so too. thats why G.Tech.

and ya I can teach most of the things…u mentioned. thanks that was valuable input.
I think I have decided on applying to SCAD. changing career is already a big risk, too risky to apply to top colleges , because I just have to make to college this year. backup plan is that I would look for a transfer to a better ranked college, if and only if I am not happy with the course or the college in general that i make to . so applying to only safe colleges.

ppl… anyone else… some more views / opinions / suggestions /advice…

4

keep reading the discussion threads concerning grad school for career change. one point is that there’s no real career advantage to the Masters in ID (like in other disciplines) it only applies to teachers wanting to get tenure.

As a grad student with engineering background you may be asked to teach 2 classes/semester to recieve an assistantship, this is a 30 hour a week job.
Also, as a grad student you’ll be splitting your time between research/writing and studio. So compared to an undergrad going full time you’ll only have 1/4 to 1/3 the studio work to show in your portfolio upon graduation.

So - seriously consider the Bachelors