Career Services

The MDE program offers the opportunity for high-caliber students to become thought leaders in a variety of roles. The majority of our alumni work in the private sector, but the program supports a broad set of career goals, ranging from positions in industry, government, and NGO’s, to the academy and startups. Several startups have formed based on studio or IDEP projects.

MDE students are eligible for several types of position at the GSD, SEAS, and other Harvard schools, and may work part-time while in the program. Positions include research assistantships with faculty, centers, and/or labs, teaching assistantships for GSD courses, and teaching fellowships for SEAS and FAS courses. While there are numerous opportunities, student skillsets and initiative are critical to obtaining a position. 

Many students choose to pursue an internship in the summer between academic years. MDE students have interned at a variety of organizations, including Utopia, IDEO, Formlabs, AKT II, OMA, Palantir, Transsolar, Autodesk, Knoll, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics.

Students are eligible for GSD programs such as Community Service Fellowships, a program through which students apply for summer employment fellowships in agencies/organizations that address issues that serve the public interests of communities. Students are also eligible for university-wide opportunities like the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

MDE graduates go in directions as diverse as their backgrounds and projects. Some graduates return to their prior field, but in new positions and capacities. Others use the program to pivot in entirely new directions.

Santiago Mota (MDE ’18), Bloomberg Harvard Summer Fellowship

Beyond MDE

Headshot of Jeronimo Beccar.

Meet Jeronimo Beccar

Jero never thought he’d go back to school, but he ended up in the new Master of Design Engineering (M.D.E.) program at Harvard University. There, he learned about the gaps in the mental health care system in the U.S., which led him to co-found Hyka Therapeutics, a care management platform that helps improve the care journey for patients and mental healthcare providers.

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