Segal Design Institute

The Segal Design Institute is a design thinking institute at Northwestern University. Segal operates within the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and is dedicated to the study of human-centered design at the undergraduate and graduate level. The Segal Design Institute was established in 2007 through a significant donation from Gordon and Carole Segal, co-founders of Crate & Barrel. Segal administers an undergraduate degree program, Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE), which teaches product and process design, manufacturing systems, and manufacturing management. The MaDE program culminates in a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Segal also administers the Segal Design Certificate, a set of courses that builds design knowledge and skills and is available to any undergraduate at Northwestern. In addition to completing required courses and approved electives, students must produce and present a design portfolio to receive the Segal Design Certificate. At the graduate level, Segal administers three Master's programs and an interdisciplinary doctoral cluster program for PhD students. Segal administers the Engineering Design Innovation (EDI) program. EDI a 15-month, full-time graduate program that teaches design thinking, a process of user research, visualization, and rapid iteration to engineers. The Master of Science degree in EDI is conferred by the Northwestern University Graduate School. Segal administers the MMM program, a dual-degree program. MMM graduates receive an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and an M.S. in Design Innovation from the Segal Design Institute at the McCormick School of Engineering. The MMM program includes lectures, experiential courses and studio-based classes. In addition to required business and design innovation courses, students pursue advanced electives that serve their unique career interests. The MMM program was reframed in 2014.