One-Year Immersive:

Interaction Design & Social Entrepreneurship

12 class hours per week

Austin, Texas I Remote-Hybrid

Now accepting applications for the 2024 cohort.

Orientation begins July 8, 2024.

AC4D’s one-year immersive program transforms students into high-value creative problem solvers who go on to lead successful and fulfilling careers in design, social impact, and beyond.

With no more than 15 students per cohort, this intimate and selective program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to transform the world through design through project-based learning under the hands-on guidance of some of Austin’s most well-known design leaders.

Held on nights and weekends, this program is not for the faint of heart. Courses are designed to force students to navigate ambiguity and tame the chaos of wicked problems in the world and themselves.

Graduates become part of a close-knit and well-regarded network of global design practitioners and leaders who serve as invaluable resources, references, and advocates throughout your career.

Or email admissions@austincenterfordesign.com to speak with someone about our program.

Admissions & Key Deadlines

Who Should Enroll?

Austin Center for Design seeks students who have an existing interest and proven track record in art, design, business, social work, or technology. The rigorous Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship program bring together these students in a creative environment to produce working, multi-platform design systems.

Students DO NOT need to have an existing undergraduate or graduate degree in art, design, business, social work, or technology in order to apply. Previous professional working experience is not required but is highly recommended.

What is required to enroll?

Applicants must submit the following artifacts:

  • Resume

  • Statement of Purpose

  • Portfolio of Work

Read more about these artifacts in the Application Documents section below.

What is the class schedule?

The One-Year Immersive is broken up into 4x ten-week quarters, with breaks between quarters. Class times are typically:

  • Monday - Thursday: 7:00PM - 9:00PM

  • Saturday: 9:00AM - 1:00PM

Please note: 

Class hours represent only a fraction of the time a typical student dedicates to the program; in total, a student often spends in total 40-60 hours a week or more total on AC4D activities.

How much does it cost?

Tuition: $23,000 $16,000 + $50 Application Fee

Tuition Notes:

  • $1000 due at commitment deadline

  • $7000 due before Q1 begins

  • $8000 due before Q3 begins

We are happy to work with students on alternative payment plans.

What dates & deadlines do I need to be aware of for the 2024 Calendar Year?

  • 7/8/24 - 7/12/24 Orientation

    • 6-9:30 PM Tuesday-Friday

    • 9am-12 PM Saturday

  • 7/15/24 - First day of program coursework

  • 5/31/25 - Last day of program coursework

Curriculum

From Novice to Design Professional: A One-Year Journey to Autonomy and Impact.

Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4
Methods Research & Sensemaking Prototyping & Testing Creative Leadership Business Design
Theory Public Sector, Innovation & Impact Designing Structures & Systems Lecture Series: Sustainability & Impact Portfolio & Professional Practices
Studio Studio: Foundation Studio: Research & Synthesis Studio: Proof of Concept Studio: Concept to Launch
2024: Jul 15 - Sep 27 2024: Oct 7 - Dec 20
Optional In person: 12/16 - 12/20
2025: Jan 6 - Mar 14 2025: Mar 24 - May 31
Optional In person: 5/27 - 5/30

Quarter 1

Research & Sensemaking

A designer's work is best done with a resonant understanding of the world - the people in it, the systems at play, and the contexts in which our work will live. In this course you will learn how to responsibly and effectively explore the complexities of the human world, describe it, and develop a point of view around what you've learned.

Public Sector, Innovation, & Impact

In Public Sector Innovation and Impact, you will learn of the history of a problem space, develop a deeper understanding and build your voice on social issues. You will explore how design can be leveraged to create impactful change - both positive and negative. This class includes exploration of Race, Privilege, and Equity in design in a supportive learning environment.

Studio: Foundation

To be effective, provocative ideas must be sharp, smart and easy to understand. In this foundational studio you will develop a baseline set of skills in sketching and visualization to bring your ideas to life, as well as basic quantitative analytical skills to understand complex domains and contextualize bold ideas with data.

Quarter 2

Prototyping & Testing

In design the act of making an idea tangible is a catalyst for knowledge creation and problem solving. In this course, you will rapidly make your ideas tangible with prototypes in order to test them in the world and measure outcomes to validate assumptions, expose risks and understand the potential to scale.

Designing Structure & Systems

The application of design is continually expanding to broader and more complex systems of people, environments, processes and tools. In Designing Structures & Systems you will learn tools and methods to holistically understand a system and its intricacies (digital, physical, or both) and identify opportunities to create a more idealized future state. You will evaluate, analyze, and make tangible representations of physical, digital, and cultural components and processes that articulate their relationships and impact on outcomes.

Studio: Research & Synthesis

This course begins the capstone project students will develop over the course of 3 quarters in studio. Each studio builds off of the prior quarter, allowing application of methods and concepts in depth.

This studio course will focus on information gathering and discovery. In a team, you will define a problem space, develop a research plan and execute research based on your team's topic. This course builds off of the 101 course offering more advanced research planning and management skills, including developing a research plan, managing recruiting, managing research data and communicating research value.

Quarter 3

Creative Leadership

Design is not linear work, and requires a diverse team. In Creative Leadership, you'll learn to plan, facilitate, guide, and manage projects that give shape to the ambiguous. You will learn the basics of how to manage and advance the design process with non-design team members and stakeholders. This class will help you anticipate and plan for the unique challenges of the design process, whether as an independent consultant or part of an in-house design team.

Lecture Series: Sustainability & Impact

One of the benefits of the Austin Center for Design is access to a valuable network of design practitioners. This lecture series will expose you to a collection of design leaders, who will share their experience on topics from the varying role of design across organizations to sustainability and measuring impact.

Studio: Proof of Concept

Taking the knowledge foundations established during Quarters 1 & 2, in this studio, your team will begin to make the design process your own. You will further hone your ideation and making skills in the context of a single capstone project that will continue through Quarter 4. You will develop, test and refine your concepts using prototypes. You will develop participatory design skills, further your understanding of iterative design and how to communicate value.

Quarter 4

Business Design

In order to develop creative ideas that deliver value, designers must understand business context. This course will introduce you to basic principles of business including designing and evaluating business models and assessing market landscapes. This class will also touch on Product Management basics including using product roadmaps to illustrate a long-term product vision, how to evaluate, prioritize and communicate the value of ideas to stakeholders.

Portfolio & Professional Practice

AC4D fundamentally alters the trajectory of students' lives and careers. This class is designed to prepare you to re-enter the workforce with your best foot forward. You will learn how to navigate the creative industry and community, tell the story of your body of work, create your professional portfolio, and highlight your strengths to potential clients and/or employers.

Final Studio: Concept to Launch

Building on outcomes from prototyping and testing in the previous quarter, your team will design and execute a pilot of a product or service. You will further your communication skills by sharing progress throughout the quarter, culminating in a final pitch that communicates the value of your team's concept and learnings from work to date.

Application Documents

 

The following 3 requirements are the core of our online application: resume, statement of purpose, and portfolio. We recommend you prep these materials before submitting your application. The application form itself is very short, and does not allow to be saved.

Resume

The resume should list a history of the applicant's previous work, education, awards, and other accomplishments. The resume should be submitted as a PDF file.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose should describe in about 500-1,000 words, the applicant's intent for attending Austin Center for Design. The statement of purpose should be submitted as a PDF file.

Portfolio

A portfolio of work is required to illustrate a professional "body of work". Note that this body of work need not be visual or design-related, and it is expected that students from various disciplines will submit a wide variety of work artifacts. Portfolios may be online, or uploaded as a PDF.

Submit work related to your core discipline and background:

  • Design work should be presented visually, showing the process and final design solution in a clear and concise manner.

  • Other creative and visual work, such as advertising or fine art, should show the final artifact or solution, and should describe the particular project goals.

  • Design research work (and other forms of applied ethnography or anthropology) should be presented in a manner that illustrates the topic being studied, the rationalization for the group observed, and key findings.

  • Business and marketing work should be presented through analytical reports, presentations, or other artifacts; be sure to describe the needs supported by the artifacts, and the result of the various reports, pitches, diagrams, or analytics.

  • Software and code (both front and back-end development) should be presented in a way that articulates the problem being solved, the constraints (such as time and resources), and the outcome (is the work live, and being used?)

In all cases, the portfolio should showcase an applicant's best work, presented as professionally as possible. In the case of group projects, applicants should indicate their personal responsibilities. It should demonstrate the applicant's interests in and aptitudes for advanced study and, specifically, potential for success at Austin Center for Design.

  • Classes run for 10 weeks per quarter Monday through Thursday typically from 7pm to 9:00pm, plus a half-day of classes on Saturdays.

  • Yes and no. The reason that this is considered a full-time program is that we offer a rigorous project-based education. This means that while in-class time adds up to 12 hours per week, a lot of learning happens outside of class time. You can expect to spend about 40-60 hours per week in class and on doing course-related work. It is possible to do this program with a full-time role but will take understanding and commitment from your employer.

  • No. Austin Center for Design is not a degree program.

  • A certificate in Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship recognized by the Texas Workforce Commission. Not to mention a wide toolbelt of skills that will allow you to make products and services that change the world.

  • At Austin Center for Design, we believe in the power of design to tackle the world’s toughest, most “wicked” problems. The products and services we use every day impact our lives and our communities in big ways. While learning about design, you will be considering the systems that these things operate in, so that we might design things that make the world a better place. We focus on problems that matter, and students learn to re-contextualize design in the space of large-scale wicked problems.

  • Our students have roles in a wide variety of industries, with titles from Design Lead to Service Designer to UX Designer to Design Strategist. Check out our Alumni Success page to learn more about what our former students are doing now.

  • Tuition for our program is $16,000. Many of our students pay for this with personal loans. AC4D can also work with students to create payment plans as needed.

  • Our program has gone hybrid! If you’re located in Austin classes will take place in north central Austin at Common Desk - Anderson Lane and remotely via Zoom. If you attend the program remotely from outside of Austin, you can expect to be in person three times throughout the year of the program.

    • Orientation: 1/16/24 - 1/20/24

    • Quarter 2: 6/10/24 - 6/15/24

    • Quarter 4: 11/18/24-11/23/24

  • There is no set class size, but cohorts generally range from 10 to 15 students.

  • Design has come a long way from its humble beginnings, when it focused primarily on products and print materials. As technology has made our world increasingly complex, designers have stepped into a larger role. UX designers help structure the websites that you use each day. Service designers ensure that the experiences you encounter, whether it be visiting a doctor’s office or going to Disney World, are pleasurable and engaging. At the end of the day, design is about figuring out what people need and developing ways to make our lives better.

  • User research! We’ll teach you how to conduct proper design research, so that your design ideas are informed by real, observed attitudes and behaviors. This is invaluable in making sure you’re not designing unusable products or services that nobody wants.

  • Design teaches you to share your ideas so that you can iterate upon them with others. This means that you’ll learn how to convey information simply and effectively. You’ll do this with Post-It Notes, drawings, diagrams, journey maps, and other methods. We’ll teach you how to conduct effective user research to inform your design ideas. You’ll learn exercises and practices that will help you to work collaboratively and push your thinking toward new ideas. And you’ll use these skills in real-world scenarios, talking to real people about the problems they face, and designing real and imagined solutions.

  • Nope! Although some designers have a background in the arts, many do not. We’ll teach you some drawing basics, so that you can sketch out your environment and convey ideas with images. But you don’t need any special drawing skill beforehand.

  • Although some basic familiarity with design or illustration software is helpful, it is not required. You will need to use some form of software for your coursework, such as Figma, Illustrator, Mural, and Dovetail. Our program doesn’t focus heavily on teaching the use of design software, as industry tools are always changing and there are many videos and educational resources available to provide this instruction.

  • Many AC4D graduates go on to become UX designers, but this is not the specific focus of the program. While students will learn about product development and evaluate and redesign website content, the focus of this program is to give students the skills they need to apply a critical design perspective to any field. Students use their education in tandem with previous education and existing skill sets to pursue the career path that’s right for them.

  • Here are some answers to common questions we get from international applicants.

    • Does AC4D provide student visas? No

    • Does AC4D accept international applicants? Yes (assuming they do not need AC4D to provide a visa)

    • Does AC4D have resources to help prospective students get visas? Unfortunately, not.

    • Does AC4D give scholarships? Yes. The amount of funding we have to go to scholarships is variable each year, and dependent on the number of scholarship applicants, and the amount of scholarship funding we anticipate.

    • Can a student do the full-year immersive program 100% remote? Yes, with the exception of a few pre-scheduled times per year. If you attend the program remotely from outside of Austin, you can expect to be in person three times throughout the year of the program.

      • Orientation: 1/16/24 - 1/20/24

      • Quarter 2: 6/10/24 - 6/15/24

      • Quarter 4: 11/18/24-11/23/24

    • If a student needs to travel back to their home country to renew their visa, can AC4D be flexible with missing classes? Within reason, yes - e.g. a few days each quarter is fine.

    • Do students need to be fluent in English? Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

If you want to know more about whether this program is a fit for you, reach out anytime! We’d love to hear more about your goals and learn about how AC4D can help you gain autonomy in your career through design. Schedule a meeting with a member of our Admissions team during our weekly office hours to get started. Don’t see a time that works for you? Send an email to admissions@austincenterfordesign.com and we’ll get you scheduled at a time that works for you.

Get in touch with Admissions

Ready to Launch Your Design Career?

Transform your creative aspirations into reality as you learn from experienced professionals at the Austin Center for Design. Dive into hands-on projects, receive personalized feedback, and develop a solid foundation that will kickstart your design career.