| Program Outline Master of Design (M.Des) | |
| Duration | 2 Years (4 Semesters) |
| Affiliation | PES University |
| Campus | Ring Road (RR) Campus |
| Admissions Test | PES Entrance Process / CEED |
Master of Design (M.Des) @ PES University
Specializations
Game Design
This specialization focuses on the design and development of interactive entertainment and serious games. Students will explore game mechanics, storytelling, user experience, and visual aesthetics, while gaining practical skills in prototyping and testing. The program prepares students to work in game development studios, ed-tech, and emerging fields like gamification and simulation design.
Interaction Design
Interaction Design integrates digital technologies, human-centered design, and user experience to create intuitive and impactful digital products and services. Students will learn to conceptualize, prototype, and evaluate interfaces and systems across various platforms, including mobile, web, physical computing, and extended reality (XR).
Strategic Design Management
This stream combines the disciplines of design, business strategy, and innovation management. Students will learn how to use design as a strategic tool to solve complex problems, build meaningful brands, and lead innovation within organizations. The focus will be on systems thinking, service design, and leadership in the creative economy.
Master of Design (M.Des) in Game and Entertainment Design (GED)
About the Program
This program focuses on the design and development of interactive entertainment and serious games. Students will learn game mechanics, storytelling, user experience, and visual aesthetics, while gaining practical skills in prototyping and testing. The program prepares students to work in game development studios, ed-tech companies, entertainment, and emerging fields like gamification and simulation design. The program will teach the conceptual, technical, creative, and studio-level skills to enable the students to excel in the game and entertainment industry as professionals later.
Students will learn to create games of different kinds/genres and interactive, fun-filled/entertaining experiences for the users/audience. Students will learn game UX/UI and game sound design. Game AI and game programming are also important components of this program. Students will get to know more about industry best practices and the market dynamics and trends. The program is associated/collaborates with a few known game industries in the country. The program will also focus on research and innovations in game design and the entertainment industry.
Key Differentiators of this Program at PESU
Program Design and Delivery Method
Program Highlights
The GED program at PESU is a rare M.Des program in game design. It is unique and one of its kind. It addresses the needs and requirements of the Indian game and entertainment industry. It also draws a lot from GOI’s initiatives to boost and modernize India’s game industry. NASSCOM and CII also promote higher education in game design.
Who Should Pursue This Program
The program is suitable for anyone who loves and is curious and enthusiastic about playing games, making games, and speaking and writing about games. Students from Design background, particularly from architecture, game design, graphic design, fine arts, economics, electronics and computer science, engineering, new-media, and communication design.
Infrastructure Support
- Immersive/Simulation Design Lab
- Physical Computing/Digital Fabrication Lab
- Ergonomics/Human Factors Lab
- Studio spaces for the three programs and more…
Skills
- Students will develop knowledge of game documentary writing, project planning, and project management
- Skills in game programming and coding
- Basic art/sketching/illustration for sketching creative ideas and concepts
- Learn to design 2D games in Unity
- Understanding game engines and how networking games work
- Hands-on work on detailed design documentation and front-end interfaces
- Game art and level design
- Play-testing skills/principles
Focus Areas (Learning Outcomes)
- Knowledge in the field/domain of game design and entertainment
- To learn programming languages relevant for game design
- To learn simple animation to be used in game design
- Knowledge in 2D modeling, 3D modeling, rigging, and rendering
- How to manage a game design studio/company and game design start-up
- To know about innovations and entrepreneurship, relevant to the field of game
- To understand and learn about sound/music in video games
List of Subjects: (2-year program)
Master of Design (M.Des) in Interaction and Interface Design (IID)
About the Program
Interaction Design integrates emerging digital technologies, human-centered design processes, and ethical and sustainable principles to create innovative products, services, and better user experiences with desirable social impact. Students will learn to conceptualize, prototype, execute, and evaluate/test interfaces and systems across various platforms, including mobile, web, physical computing, and extended reality (XR).
Research, creativity, and innovation are guiding principles of this program. It prepares students to practice design in a very dynamic, technology-driven landscape. Graduates will learn methods, techniques, and processes to study and understand consumer needs, requirements, and aspirations, developing a deeper understanding of user experience and insights.
They will master conceptual, technical, practical, and hands-on studio skills, enabling them to design products and experiences for any kind of digital or physical platform. The product range may vary from apps, installations, web products, information visualization, VR/AR and mixed-media realities, and medical to military applications. Students will also gain exposure to industry best practices, market dynamics, and trends. The program will include collaborations and tie-ups with entities from industry and academia for joint research and innovative activities.
Key Differentiators of This Program at PESU
Program Design and Delivery Method
The program follows a trimester model, where one trimester is designed for taught modules, followed by a project-based trimester. In the latter, students will conceive, plan, and execute a design project.
In this process, students will learn how to understand and frame a design problem, ideate using a design thinking framework, develop and create solutions, and communicate these through various techniques of information representation.
Mentorship and guidance will be provided by both in-house faculty and selected domain experts/professionals from industry and academia. The pedagogy is a mix of modular and elective-based courses and may include other methods like scenario building, field visits, workshops, seminars, installations, competitions, and the design of displays and posters.
Program Highlights
The IID program at PESU is a unique master's-level offering in the country. It addresses the needs and requirements of Indian contexts and realities while also considering the global audience and international markets. It draws inspiration from the Government of India’s initiatives to boost and modernize India’s experience and entertainment industry.
Organizations like NASSCOM and CII also promote higher education in UX/UI and multimedia technologies.
Who Should Pursue This Program
The program is suitable for individuals who are curious and enthusiastic about learning and applying digital and communication technologies, mixed media realities, software-hardware combined products, and experiences, as well as data visualization and user study research.
Students from a design background or other fields such as architecture, game design, graphic design, fine arts, economics, electronics and computer science, engineering, management, and new media and communication design are encouraged to apply.
Focus Areas (Learning Outcomes)
- Knowledge in the domain of designing, prototyping, and testing products
- Learning programming languages relevant to interaction design
- Learning basic data visualization for content design and business intelligence
- Understanding UX/UI design principles, application methods, and processes
- Exploring innovations and entrepreneurship relevant to UX/UI design
- Understanding emerging technologies and advanced interfaces such as AR, VR, MR, GUI, TUI, and brain-based interfaces
Skills Acquired
- UX/UI project planning, management, and execution
- Programming and coding in UX/UI contexts
- Sketching and illustration techniques for creative ideas and concepts
- Basics of graphic design and typography
- Storytelling, photography, and animation
- Hands-on work in design documentation and research writing
- Usability assessment and user study research
Infrastructure Support
- Immersive/Simulation Design Lab
- Physical Computing/Digital Fabrication Lab
- Ergonomics/Human Factors Lab
- Digital Culture Lab
- Large studio spaces for the three programs
- Classrooms and discussion rooms
- Conference hall (400–500 seating capacity)
- Display and demonstration walls/boards in large numbers
List of Subjects: (2-year program)
Master of Design (M.Des) in Strategic Design Management (SDM)
About the Program
Strategic Design Management (SDM) combines emerging digital technologies, design thinking, human-centered design processes, and ethical and sustainable principles with corporate strategy, business management, organizational strategy and growth, and contemporary management practices.
Students will develop and create innovative products, services, and better user experiences with desirable social impact and outcomes. They will learn to conceptualize, prototype, execute, and evaluate/test products, systems, services, business models, corporate strategies, and organizational innovations.
Research, creativity, and innovation are the guiding principles of this program. Students will understand managerial economics and finance, strategy formulation and implementation, and organizational growth strategies and operations.
Graduates will learn methods, techniques, and processes to study and understand consumer needs, requirements, market dynamics, and develop a deeper understanding of user experience and insights. They will master conceptual, technical, practical, and hands-on studio/design skills that will enable them to design products and experiences for any kind of digital or physical platform.
SDM is interdisciplinary in its approach, combining design thinking skills with business practices. The program includes collaborations and tie-ups with industry and academia for joint research and innovation.
Key Differentiators of this Program at PESU
PESU has a strong legacy of delivering quality education for nearly five decades across diverse fields—Engineering, Technology, Sciences, Medical Science, Law, Humanities, Design, and Arts. It also boasts a robust Doctoral research program.
The M.Des program in SDM will leverage this legacy and institutional capability to offer quality professional education in design. The infrastructure is excellent, and the environment is conducive to postgraduate design education, as the B.Des programs are already running smoothly. PESU fosters a culture of creativity, innovation, and excellence in education.
Program Design and Delivery Method
The program will be conducted in a trimester model. One trimester will focus on taught modules, followed by a project-based trimester where students will conceive, plan, and execute a design project.
Students will learn how to define and frame a design problem, ideate using a design thinking framework, develop creative solutions, and effectively communicate these solutions using various information representation techniques.
Mentorship will be provided by both in-house faculty and selected professionals from industry and academia. The pedagogy will include modular and elective-based courses and may incorporate scenario building, field visits, workshops, seminars, installations, participation in competitions, and design of displays and posters.
Program Highlights
The SDM program at PESU is a unique master’s-level program in India, combining business and corporate strategy with design thinking, skills, and practices. It addresses the needs of the Indian context while also aligning with global standards.
The program aligns with Government of India (GOI) initiatives to modernize small and medium-scale businesses and skill education. It also resonates with the agendas of organizations like NASSCOM and CII, which promote design-led innovation and entrepreneurship.
Who Should Pursue This Program
This program is ideal for individuals who are curious and enthusiastic about integrating design thinking and business management practices to drive innovation and sustainable growth.
It is suitable for students from a variety of backgrounds including design, architecture, MBA, game design, graphic design, fine arts, economics, electronics and computer science, engineering, management, and new media/communication design.
Infrastructure Support
- Large studio spaces
- Classrooms and discussion rooms
- A conference hall (400–500 capacity)
- Extensive display and demonstration walls
Focus Areas (Learning Outcomes)
- Understanding the domain of designing, prototyping, and testing business ideas and models
- Strategic decision-making, brand communication, and market analysis
- Data visualization and infographics for business modeling and intelligence
- Innovation and entrepreneurship in business design
- Basics of business finance and economics
- Storyboarding, scenario building, and conceptual mapping
Skills Development
- Project planning, management, and execution
- Business communication and organizational learning
- Sketching and illustration for visualizing ideas
- Fundamentals of graphic design and typography
- Storytelling, photography, and animation
- Research writing and design documentation
- Usability testing and user study research
List of Subjects: (2-year program)
Extracurricular Activities
Students will attend at least one national-level and one international-level conference/seminar/event each year. They will also participate in competitions, hackathons, etc.
Collaboration
There will be a select industry-academia collaborations and there will be industry sponsorship options for research and innovations in selected subject areas.
Placement
Placements
Opportunities in the corporate sector are made available for outgoing students during their final semester for which professional training is imparted. Students are expected to have good academic records to ensure a definite placement
Placements
Opportunities in the corporate sector are made available for outgoing students during their final semester for which professional training is imparted. Students are expected to have good academic records to ensure a definite placement
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prospective students and parents
Study at PES
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Contact Us
Read our FAQs or contact us:
Ring Road Campus /
Electronic City Campus:
080-10-297297
Hanumanthanagar Campus:
+91 80 22429391
Contact Us
Read our FAQs or contact us:
Ring Road Campus /
Electronic City Campus:
080-10-297297
Hanumanthanagar Campus:
+91 80 22429391
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