Master of Design (MDes)
at UC Berkeley, Berkeley

4.6 /5

(4 Reviews)

Shiksha popularity ranking

#8 in World

#7 in USA

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Public University
Department of Environmental Design

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Master of Design (MDes)
at
UC Berkeley
Overview

Offered at the PG level of study by the University of California - Berkeley Campus, Master of Design (MDes) is one of the top choices among international students around the globe. Students can do this course over a period of 16 months. Plus, candidates must meet the minimum score requirements for aptitude test and English proficiency exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE and Duolingo for admissions to the university for Master of Design (MDes). Also, they must submit all the required documents. When it comes to the expenses of studying this program, the cost is divided into two parts, annual tuition cost and the cost of living. The annual University of California - Berkeley Campus tuition fee for Master of Design (MDes) is around USD 63,531 (INR 6,098,341). Also, the cost of living sums up to be around USD 21,610 (INR 2,074,344). Note that this amount does not include:

Housing
Transportation
Food
Books and supplies
Other miscellaneous expenses

Duration	16 months Get Curriculum
Tuition & Fees	₹60.88 Lakh Get Fees details
International Students Admission Website	Go to Website
Official Career Service Website	Go to Website
Course Level	PG Degree

Master of Design (MDes)

Table of contents

Overview
Fees
Curriculum
Entry Requirements
Rankings
Highlights
Scholarships

Master of Design (MDes)
at
UC Berkeley
Fees

Students are required to pay the first-year tuition fee as per the University of California - Berkeley Campus Master of Design (MDes) fee structure. In addition to tuition costs students should budget for

housing
food
other utilities

These contribute to the total cost of living estimated at USD 21,610 (INR 2,074,344). The overall cost may vary depending on additional charges imposed by University of California - Berkeley Campus. Students have to pay a total first-year tuition fee of USD 63,531 (INR 6,098,341) for University of California - Berkeley Campus. Refer to the table below for a detailed fee breakdown of the University of California - Berkeley Campus Master of Design (MDes).

1st year tuition fees

Fees components	Amount (for 1 year)
Tuition & fees	INR 60,87,572
Application Fee	INR 14,852

Other expenses in 1st Year

Fees components	Amount (for 1 year)
Hostel & Meals	INR 20,70,681
Insurance	INR 6,17,276

Calculated at the exchange rate of 1 USD = INR 95.8205 | Tuition & expenses were last updated on 23ʳᵈ September 2025

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Master of Design (MDes)
at
UC Berkeley
Curriculum

Students can download the PDF for getting access to the university's curriculum by clicking on the green symbol below. This PDF contains all of the aspects about Master of Design (MDes) course offered by University of California - Berkeley Campus, including the subjects taught, program credits, electives, and the semester-by-semester course structure. Get it now!

Download exam sample paper

Master of Design (MDes)
at
UC Berkeley
Entry Requirements

Requirements for 12th grade Lock Icon

No specific cutoff mentioned

Graduation Lock Icon

CGPA - 3/4
Applicant must hold :
A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution

A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and

Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.

All applicants must have requisite technical preparation, for example a technical degree, coursework, and/or certificate, or equivalent professional experience, because MDes students are expected to be capable of independently learning new software tools and programming languages, and to quickly deploy these tools and skills in courses and projects

Applicants without clear technical preparation from their academic or professional background should, at a minimum, develop intermediate programming experience prior to the start of the program, and have sufficient knowledge of some technical subject area
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GPA

Percentage

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TOEFL

Marks - 90/120
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GPA

Percentage

CGPA

PTE

No specific cutoff mentioned

IELTS

No specific cutoff mentioned
an IELTS Band score of at least 7 on a 9-point scale

Get a Full FREE IELTS Prep Course with Shiksha Study Abroad – Limited Seats for Weekend & Weekday Batches! Register now for IELTS
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Duolingo

No specific cutoff mentioned

Other eligibility criteria Lock Icon

MDes applicants must submit a portfolio that demonstrates their creative and technical proficiency.
A strong portfolio will:
- Describe a limited selection of projects in depth, rather than account for a large breadth of projects superficially. We suggest curating a selection of 3–5 of your most compelling projects.
- Showcase your technical skills, disciplinary strengths, and clearly communicate your experience and perspective.
- Demonstrate your interest and ability to move beyond your “home” discipline (i.e., if you are a mechanical engineer, do you have any projects showing your exploration of other engineering fields, design fields, and/or a synthesis of your skills from different disciplines?).
- Include both images and supporting text.
Portfolios should be a maximum of 20 pages in length (inclusive of title page) and 20MB in size. Portfolios that are submitted in excess of this page and/or size limit will not be reviewed by the admissions committee.
While the PDF portfolio will be viewed as the primary document, you may optionally include up to two minutes of supplementary time-based media (audio/video). See the Audio/Visual Uploads section of the page for more detail.
Any URLs or links to outside materials, whether within your portfolio or elsewhere in your application, may not be reviewed.

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Master of Design (MDes)
at
UC Berkeley
Rankings

University Ranking

Rank	Rank Publisher
#20	World University QS, 2027
#9	University THE (Times Higher Education), 2026
#5	Universities ARWU (Shanghai Ranking), 2025

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University of California - Berkeley Campus
Students Ratings & Reviews

4.6/5

4 Verified Reviews Info Icon

Student Views (Based on Reviews)

50% students never faced discrimination in this university

Vibe of Campus

Liberal

Stressful

Academically oriented

Multi-dimensional

Internships4.5

Part time work4.3

Post study jobs5

Quality of faculty4.5

Student Life5

Value for money4.3

Public transportation4.8

Safety4.3

Indian Food4.8

Permanent Immigration4.3

Anonymous

Bachelor of Arts- Computer Science - Batch of 2025

4.4

The University is collaborative and impactful. Plenty of opportunities to explore.

Tips: Before you fully commit to this university, make sure you have a word with a student representative or a former alumni who can give you a clear idea of what to expect on campus. Get an idea of what the university stands for, its history and what your inclination is towards.

Dislikes (Permanent Immigration): The USA is easily one of the most accepting and multifaceted arenas open to people from all ethnicities, races and backgrounds especially if you're starting your life like me. If given the chance, I would certainly immigrate here especially in California.

Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 5650

Prepping time for classes35 hours/Week

Expected Annual SalaryUSD 107575

Reviewed on 12 Jun 2024Read more

(1)

1 person found this helpful

Ishan Pathak Verified Icon

Master of Financial Engineering - Batch of 2025

4.0

Good career opportunities.

Tips: 1. Learn cooking, and try to be efficient in cooking as possible. This helps save lots of time 2. Take lots of layered clothing options, to make sure you don't catch cold 3. The MFE course in particular is intensive. Start your interview prep for placements/internships as early as possible before coming.

Likes (Internships): The course has wide range of career options ranging from technology to quantitative research in funds. The career path this program prepares for is quite varied, ranging from Data Science, Teaching to core-finance (which is its USP). Available internships are relevant.

Dislikes (Value for money): The MFE course in particular is expensive. The internships and placements are good but obviously, it comes at a cost. The college infrastructure is quite good though. The faculty is good overall, but MFE being a fast-paced course, they breeze through the course material quite fast.

Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 1925

Prepping time for classes35 hours/Week

Expected Annual SalaryUSD 150000

Reviewed on 27 Mar 2024Read more

(1)

1 person found this helpful

Anonymous

Master of Science in Computer Science - Batch of 2020

4.8

UC Berkeley: A Crowned Institution in United States.

Tips: Trust me, the university is more competitive than it seems. Students should be prepared to put in a lot of effort. At first glance, the university may appear overwhelming due to its vast size and atmosphere. However, students must take this as an opportunity and learn with their fellow. Also, this is an opportunity to build strong meaningful relationships with your fellow. As in top institutions, like UC Berkeley, apart from academics most of the students come to build these relationships only. I can recall how many good relationships I have built over my time at UC and I am still benefitting from them day-in and out. Students must enrol for a scholarship as the cost of living near the university is relatively high. If you are unable to get a scholarship try to find a good part-time job. About the country well US is US just be good around here don't go to shady areas. Some of the areas have high crime rates and shootings are a common sight. The country will treat you well if you do well.

Likes (Quality of faculty): University of California Berkeley is renowned for its academic excellence and this isn't something to talk about, Come on! Everyone knows it before coming here. The professors are highly knowledgeable and experienced. The professors are very helpful and have unique teaching patterns. It's more of an interaction than teaching and I believe that this is the best method of teaching. However, not every professor at UC Berkeley is exceptional, this needs to be said! At first, I thought enrolling myself at UC Berkeley would be very stressful; nevertheless, the professors do help at every stage to keep the classes interesting and engaging for the students.

Dislikes (Part time work): As I have pursued MS in Computer Science, it is a bit difficult to get a part-time job. The competition is fierce and so is the demand. Due to the high cost of living every other student wants to land on a good part-time job opportunity, therefore making it extremely competitive. However, with the assistance of one of my professors, I was able to land a part-time job. It is difficult to get a part-time job or internship in your field as the competition increases every year. So, start to visualize according. Don't expect that the university will spoon-feed you every single time. Some myths need to be busted!

Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 1225

Prepping time for classes17 hours/Week

Expected Annual SalaryUSD 40275

Reviewed on 24 Oct 2023Read more

(2)

2 people found this helpful

Yuvaraj Tankala Verified Icon

Bachelor of Arts- Computer Science - Batch of 2022

5.0

Amazing experience at University of California

Tips: First and foremost, students should find an accommodation near to the campus and knowing English is better so that you can communicate with everyone. Try to learn some technology or gain some experience in coding so that you can tutor or do part-time work as a frontend or backend Engineer.

Likes (Value for money): We had global exposure with peers coming from all over the world, different cultures and habits. Also, everyone was super helpful and many students ran organizations which were helpful to upscale ourselves. Many extra curricular activities were organized.

Dislikes (Indian Food): When I was working on a project, my professor was helpful and she also connected me with other professionals on the topic I was working on. She also explained personal branding like LinkedIn's do's and don'ts. She was kind and used to give her office hours for our benefit.

Reviewed on 8 Jun 2022Read more

(3)

3 people found this helpful

View All 4 Reviews

Master of Design (MDes)
at
UC Berkeley
Highlights

Master of Design (MDes) is offered by Department of Environmental Design under University of California - Berkeley Campus, USA.
This a Masters level program of a course duration of 1.5 Years.
Download the brochure to read more details of this course.