Master of Arts in Design and Innovation (MDI) - Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

For admission to the Master of Arts in Design and Innovation program, applicants must meet the admission requirements of the university and the department, which are listed below:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college with a major in art, design, engineering, marketing, or communications with an overall GPA of 2.5 or above. Bachelor’s degrees with other majors will be considered with relevant work experience in other creative industries.
2. Samples of creative individual or collaborative work that includes 2-3 projects.
3. One-page written statement by the applicant indicating career objectives.
4. Resume or curriculum vitae.
5. Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s potential for success in graduate studies.

Note: The admission requirements to the individual certificate programs are the same as to the Masters program and students will not be required to resubmit documentation for admission into the next certificate program provided they are in good academic standing.

English Proficiency Requirements

For Non-U.S. Degree and International Students Only

The English language tests and minimum scores listed in the table below are accepted by CSUN for graduate applicants for Master of Arts in Design & Innovation program.

Exception: If a graduate applicant has earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a college or university in the U.S., the TOEFL or other English language proficiency exam is not required.

If a graduate applicant has earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a college or university outside the U.S. where English is the principal language of instruction, the TOEFL or other English language proficiency exam is not required. Please note:

• CSUN interprets "where English is the principal language of instruction" to mean that a school is located in a country where English is the daily medium of communication for the majority of residents, and that students receive academic instruction in English at all levels of education.
• Countries currently meeting the above requirement are: Australia, Belize, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, plus a few nations in the Commonwealth Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago).

Degree Requirements

All courses in the student’s graduate program must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. No course taken more than 7 years prior to the date of which all requirements for the degree are completed may be counted as part of the 33 units in the degree program. No time limit applies to courses taken to satisfy M.A. Design & Innovation prerequisite requirements.