The Design Justice certificate focuses on addressing structural inequity from social, technological, environmental, economic, and political perspectives in design. Courses from multiple design disciplines within the College of Design offer an in-depth understanding of how design creates benefits and burdens for people and communities who hold different identities, as well as how design creatively applies and enhances community-based, liberatory, Indigenous practices and knowledge.
On-Campus Component: Online
Credential: Undergraduate Certificate
Campus: Twin Cities
Cost: Visit OneStop
Admission Criteria: Completion of a high school diploma or GED; Minimum 2.0 GPA (2.5 GPA preferred) if you apply with college credits.
Students must submit a copy of their GED certificate or high school diploma. If applying with college credits, you must submit official copies of all college transcript(s).
Total Credits: 15
Application: August 10 for the fall semester; November 15 for the spring semester
Required/Elective* Courses:
Choose five courses from the list below, at least 3 upper-division credits.
- DES 4401W Racism Untaught (3 credits)
- DES4402 Intersections in Design Justice (3 credits)
- DES 4403 Wakanda & Black Liberatory Futures* (3 credits, in-person learning abroad)
- RM 1201 Fashion, Ethics and Consumption (3 credits)
- LA 1201 Learning from the Landscape (3 credits)
- DES 4165 Design and Globalization (3 credits)
Minimum requirements include:
- Completion of a high school diploma or GED; Minimum 2.0 GPA (2.5 GPA preferred) if you apply with college credits.
- Students must submit a copy of their GED certificate or high school diploma. If applying with college credits, you must submit official copies of all college transcript(s).
Transferring Credits
With approval, up to 6 credits of transfer coursework may be used to satisfy the requirements for this certificate.
Talk to an advisor if you're interested in transferring certificate courses toward an undergraduate degree.
Today, social, cultural, and environmental injustice has been widely recognized by various fields, including design. As an important force to shape the world of tomorrow, design students and professionals need to understand the various issues relating to structural inequity and oppression. They need the design skills and knowledge that can empower them to actively participate in proposing solutions and design approaches to emerging social and environmental problems.
The mission of this program is to enhance student's understanding of structural inequities and oppression that can be meaningfully addressed and influenced by means of deliberate design. Various courses from multiple design disciplines including Landscape Architecture, Graphic Design, Retail Merchandising, etc. address design justice issues. This program delves into design topics of anti-racism, racial justice, disparities and discrimination; equity, power, privilege and bias; the impact of design on racial minorities, immigrants and other disadvantaged populations; environmental and social justice; and other forms of countering systemic global inequalities. Students are encouraged to creatively solve problems using interdisciplinary design methods and knowledge.
