New programme to equip graduates from diverse backgrounds with strategic and creative problem-solving skills 

Dubai, Oct 6, 2026: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai has announced the launch of a new Master of Science in Integrative Design (MSID) to equip professionals and graduates with the skills to address complex workplace challenges through interdisciplinary design methods. The programme is for students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds who want to integrate design, creativity and innovation with business acumen, new technologies and strategy to develop solutions and advance their careers or create new ventures.  

The MSID is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and RIT’s Art and Design Departments worldwide are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The new programme brings together design thinking, systems thinking, sustainability, technology and innovation to develop human-centred solutions for real-world challenges. The MSID goes beyond the traditional master’s programmes targeted at graduates of established design disciplines to take a deliberately interdisciplinary approach that is suited to participants from creative, technical, engineering, management and other professional backgrounds.  

The programme combines creative techniques, including brainstorming, immersion, contextual research and empathy with approaches to feasibility, social responsibility, entrepreneurship and innovation. Through projects and applied research, students will develop the ability to move from identifying complex problems to developing, evaluating and communicating innovative products, services and systems. The programme enables students from both artistic and technical backgrounds to engage with creative development teams, tackling real-life challenges and developing projects across industries. The RIT Dubai model of industry engagement is embedded in the curriculum through real-world challenges that support hands-on learning.   

Dr Yousef Al Assaf, President of RIT Dubai, says, “At RIT Dubai, we believe meaningful innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines. The launch of the Master of Science in Integrative Design is a direct response to the UAE’s continued transformation towards a diversified, knowledge-based economy, and to the region’s growing need for leaders who can move fluidly between design, technology and business. This programme reflects our continued investment in academic offerings that prepare graduates not just to enter the workforce, but to help shape its future, in line with the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.”  

Flexibility is a key feature of the programme as students can select three electives from other RIT Dubai master’s programmes, allowing them to build an individualised pathway around their professional interests. This cross-disciplinary structure enables students to complement the MSID programme’s core design and innovation focus with knowledge and skills from other fields. The two-year, part-time programme is delivered face-to-face at the RIT Dubai campus and is structured across five academic terms, with evening classes designed to accommodate working professionals.  

Dr Todd Jokl, Dean of RIT’s College of Art and Design, says, “There is no better university where to launch the MSID program than RIT Dubai, an institution that exemplifies cross-collaborative thinking and problem-solving at the intersection of technology, the arts, design and innovation. Graduates of this programme will be perfectly positioned to engage in the UAE, Dubai and broader regional economies that possess a bold spirit of forward-looking entrepreneurship in both their governmental and private industry sectors.”  

Commenting on the launch, Dr Carlos Montana-Hoyos, Associate Professor and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Art and Design Department at RIT Dubai, says, “The Master of Science in Integrative Design responds to the changing nature of challenges faced by businesses and organisations. Combining design methodologies with technology, business and human-centred thinking, the programme supports graduates and professionals from diverse backgrounds to integrate the systems, and user needs that will enable them to develop meaningful solutions to real-world challenges. This will promote their personal and professional growth while opening new pathways for innovation and entrepreneurship across a broad range of disciplines.”  

Applications for the Master of Science in Integrative Design has opened this month, with the first intake beginning in January 2027.