The
Master of Arts in Exhibition Design is a full-time, 36-credit program completed in 13 months, from June through the following July. Most coursework is studio-based and is combined with projects that are conducted directly with patron museums, design firms, and trade venues.
You will learn to plan and build three-dimensional models, apply typographic solutions to brand identity issues, and incorporate graphic, lighting, interactive, and audiovisual elements into small- and large-scale designs.
The
Master of Arts program culminates in an independent thesis project and capstone event. Students demonstrate their design, research, writing, and critical-thinking skills in a final exhibition design and academic paper, presented to program faculty and an international panel of experts.
Internship
All students are required to complete an internship, with a minimum commitment of 240 hours, at an appropriate exhibition design venue. Internships must be pre-approved by the department chairperson and FIT's Internship Center. Though course credit is only granted for one internship, students may choose to serve additional internships, for networking opportunities and as aids to professional growth.
Current lists of internship opportunities, descriptions, guidelines, and procedures are kept on file in the Office of Graduate Studies. Each student, in consultation with a faculty advisor, makes a formal application for a position, and if selected, reports directly to a staff member at the internship location, who then supervises and evaluates the student's work.
Qualifying Project
The final semester of the program comprises four interdisciplinary courses, through which students conceive and execute a professional-quality, independent thesis design project, subject to department approval. The thesis is theme-driven, comprised of completed exhibition design development and final design documents, an accompanying exhibition model and thesis paper.
Time Requirement for Degree Completion
Students may only matriculate full time; the program begins with the summer session and takes place over three consecutive semesters, ending in the spring. The final semester coursework is dedicated to students' thesis design projects. At the conclusion of all coursework, a six-week internship is required for degree completion.
