Bachelor of Design

The First Multidisciplinary Degree in The Region

DIDI's Bachelor of Design (BDes) is the first multidisciplinary curriculum in the region offering four disciplines: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management. The 4-year program begins with an immersive year exposing students to basic visual, digital, and entrepreneurship skills. Then, from their second year onwards, students combine two disciplines to create their own educational journey.

The cross-disciplinary degree ensures graduates have adaptable and flexible skills for a rapidly changing design and digital job landscape. 

The BDes program combines visual literacy, technological fluency, and strategic proficiency. This means that DIDI students combine design expertise, engineering know-how, and business management skills throughout their educational journey. 

Within each course, whether a studio, workshop, or lecture, students engage in what DIDI calls the 4 Cs: Conceptualization, Communication, Crafting, and Care.

The BDes program at DIDI is accredited by the Ministry of Education in the UAE, Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA).

The First Year: Immersion in Design

In the first year, students explore design, technology, and strategic thinking in parallel, with a focus on ideation and making.

The hands-on, project-based approach starts with the observation and application of visuals based on systems thinking and evolves into allowing students to take risks, express their strengths, creativity, and passion through individual or group projects. The studios and workshops focus on creative problem-solving skills that encourage students to imagine a better future world responsibly, sustainably, and critically.

In the process, students are exposed to DIDI’s four disciplines: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management. The lectures provide a robust theoretical underpinning that strengthens the students’ historical knowledge, analytical skills, and entrepreneurship awareness. 

The first year will prepare and allow students ample time and knowledge to carefully select the cross-disciplinary pathway that will determine their future careers.

The Second Year Onward: Cross-Disciplinary Innovation

As of the second year, students pair two of DIDI’s main disciplines that reflect their interests, strengths, and ambition: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management.

Guided by their faculty, the students select their own academic journey based on their passion, and learn the secret ingredient of innovation: working across disciplines, crossing traditional boundaries, and seamlessly weaving a variety of approaches. DIDI students develop a natural ability to transfer skills between disciplines, increasing their creative acumen to solve complex problems, an essential skill for preparedness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Following their third year, students engage in an internship through a rigorous selection process and support from the administrative and academic team. The internship program helps students get a real-world experience that complements their education and hones their professional readiness.  

The hands-on, rigorous, and immersive studio-based learning experience will culminate in their final capstone project. Students have a choice to work individually or in groups, on their own or on industry-led projects.