
Understand.
Imagine.
Build.
The Master in Design Engineering (MDE) program prepares a new generation of leaders to create transformative solutions that address societal grand challenges.

These Harvard grads want to turn your doodles into gorgeous custom furniture
Naya Studio, a startup created by Saad Rajan (MDE ’19) and Vivek Hv (MDE ’19), uses artificial intelligence to turn client ideas into real products. The startup grew out of the duo’s Independent Design Engineering Project in the MDE program.

Zeerak Ahmed (MDE ’18) brings software innovation to Urdu
In this essay, Zeerak Ahmed (MDE ‘18) writes about his journey to modernize software for the Urdu language, and the Arabic script.

Science and Engineering Complex named one of the world’s healthiest lab buildings
Harvard University’s Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) has been certified by two international building certification programs as one of the healthiest, most sustainable, and energy-efficient laboratories in the world. The MDE studio space is located in this complex.
Working through iterative cycles of understanding, imagining, and building, our integrated approach to design and engineering is uniquely positioned to address the world’s toughest challenges.
Our world’s increasingly complex problems demand a deep understanding of underlying problem architecture, the capacity to imagine bold futures, and the ability to build and test prototypes geared toward maximum impact.
Interdisciplinary work is at the core of MDE. Our faculty and students navigate multiple disciplines and fields when setting out to investigate problems, ask better questions, and build novel, real-world solutions.
Two schools at Harvard University – the Graduate School of Design (GSD) and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) – are equal partners to support the collaborative MDE program.
The MDE program combines GSD methods of analysis, visualization, conceptual inquiry, and open-ended exploration with the rigor and quantitative power of the engineering disciplines at SEAS to address problems far beyond traditional design and engineering fields.
Beyond
MDE
Our students become thought leaders in a variety of roles. The MDE program supports a broad set of career goals, ranging from roles in industry, government, and NGO’s, to the academy and startups.
26%
Graduates between 2018 and 2021 who joined or launched startups within three years of graduation. Startups include Hyka, TOP-YARD, and DayToDay Health.
21%
Graduates between 2018 and 2021 who became product managers or product designers. Employers include Spotify, Amazon, Pocket Gems, the U.S. Department of Defense, and HP.
17%
Graduates who became researchers or strategists, including at IDEO, Deloitte, Johnson & Johnson, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Stanford University.

Meet Ed Bayes
ENTREPRENEUR
Before coming to the GSD, Ed Bayes (MDE ’22) studied law and anthropology and worked in law and public policy in the UK, where he advised the Treasury and the mayor of London on tech, business, and climate policy.