Fulbright for Interaction Design: Tisch ITP vs RISD vs CMU

worried_mom
Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:26:36 +0000

I don’t know anything about NYU’s program, but I do know quite a bit about both CMU and RISD, especially in the area of industrial design. They are both excellent schools, but JHS is absolutely right about each having a different approach/emphasis. (And by the way, an MFA from RISD will not hold you back at all in pursuing a PhD. In fact, it might help you stand out from the general applicant pool.)

USN&WR ranks the graduate programs at CMU #1 and RISD #3 in multimedia/visual communications.

I personally prefer Providence (but the fact that I travel there frequently and am much more familiar with the area may have a lot to do with that), but I also found that Pittsburgh has lots to offer in terms of culture, recreation, and job opportunities.

OP, one thing you should investigate is just how much flexibility you will have to take classes outside your major discipline, since this seems to be important to you. It has been my experience that at the master’s level, unlike your undergraduate years, you are focusing on one particular area – going for depth rather than breadth. And of course, you’ll be spending much of your time working on your project/thesis, so you may well be restricted in terms of taking more than just one or two electives outside your field, no matter where you go to graduate school.