Medisign at TU Delft equips you with the knowledge, methods and tools to design and prototype products, services and systems that benefit the well-being of our society, using the latest technological advances in the field.
Curriculum
Medisign is a Master’s specialisation available to students enrolled in one of the following Master’s programmes in Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft: Integrated Product Design (IPD), Design for Interaction (DfI) or Strategic Product Design (SPD). The Medisign curriculum is a specialisation within your Master’s degree and consists of three parts: (1) a Master-specific Design Studio, (2) at least two Medisign electives of a total of 10 ECTS, and (3) a health-related graduation project.
As part of the Medisign curriculum, you’ll select a health or healthcare-related case for one of the design studios offered in your master‘s program, often in partnership with a real-world organisation. This project enables you to apply your Master’s knowledge directly to the healthcare ecosystem, bridging theory with design practice.
By collaborating with external partners, you’ll gain valuable experience in communication, problem-solving, and project development. The design studio project ensures that you graduate with practical experience applying your design skills in the health and healthcare sector. The design studio has a 10 ECTS study load. The design studios offered in the different Master programs are:
- MSc Design for Interaction (DfI)
- Design Studio 1: Dare to Design Studio | Semester 1
- Design Studio 2: Depending on the theme you select | Semester 2
- Theme – Design for Emerging Sustainable Futures | Speculative Design Studio *
- Theme – Design for Human Interaction | Multi-sensory Design Studio
- Theme – Design for Societal Innovation | Systemic Design Studio (shared with MSc Strategic Product Design)
- MSc Integrated Product Design (IPD)
- Design Studio 1: Products Now Studio | Semester 1
- Design Studio 2: Product Futures Studio | Semester 2
- MSc Strategic Product Design (SPD)
- Design Studio 1: Strategic Design Studio | Semester 1
- Design Studio 2: Depending on the theme you select | Semester 2
- Theme – Strategic Design for Technology-enabled Innovation | Tech-enabled Innovation Studio
- Theme – Strategic Design for Social and Sustainable Innovation | Systemic Design Studio (shared with MSc Strategic Product Design)
To personalise your educational journey, you must complete 2 electives, each worth 5 ECTS. One of these electives should be chosen from the Medisign electives. These electives allow you to explore the intersection of design and health in greater depth. You can also choose a health or healthcare-focused (research) internship as an elective to gain practical experience select one of the program electives with a health topic, or opt for an elective in another faculty or university. Please check with the Medisign coordinator before pursuing such an alternative elective or internship to ensure they are suitable for the Medisign curriculum.
A list of the Medisign Electives can be found here. For more information, please refer to the Study Guide.
| Medisign Elective | Course Code | Period | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design in Health, Theory and Practice | |||
| eHealth | |||
| Biomechanics |
Outside the Faculty IDE
Electives at other TU Delft Faculties can be taken if they are health or healthcare-related. Please consult with the Medisign coordinator before pursuing these electives to ensure they are suitable for the Medisign curriculum.
Outside TU Delft
Elective courses can be taken at other universities in the Netherlands if they are related to healthcare. Please consult the Medisign coordinator before taking these electives to ensure that they are suitable for the Medisign curriculum.
The culmination of the Medisign programme is a 20-week health-related graduation project. During this time, students work intensively on a design project that contributes to our societal health, under the guidance of two mentors from the IDE faculty and often in collaboration with a partnering company. Ethical considerations are paramount, especially when projects involve sensitive information and human subjects, for example discussing depression with high school students or personal patient experiences with elderly. Students are required to consult with the Human Research Ethics Committee and follow the guidelines available on the TU Delft website. This final project is an important opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world context. You can find graduation opportunities here (note these are not only Medisign opportunities) or get inspiration from the Medisign graduation showcase.
Objectives
Through the Medisign specialisation, we aim to educate dedicated and skilled industrial design engineers in the field of health and healthcare, so that they are equipped to address these challenges of the future. Medisign students are challenged to develop medical devices, healthcare products, services, interventions and/or processes that meet the needs of the different stakeholders (i.e., patients, healthcare professionals, informal caregivers) with the purpose of improving quality of health and care.
Besides the curriculum objectives of their Master Education, students completing the Medisign Specialisation will be able to:
- demonstrate design-relevant understanding of the sociotechnical healthcare system, including people, devices, services, processes, regulations and organisation.
- plan and carry out design projects, including design research, in the healthcare domain.
- navigate the stakeholder ecosystem and communicate with multi-stakeholders within a healthcare design context.
Career prospects
Graduates of the Medisign specialisation are well-equipped for a variety of impactful careers in the health and healthcare design sectors. With a strong foundation in designing products, services, and systems for health and healthcare, alumni find opportunities in diverse settings:
- Medical Product Designer: Creating innovative medical devices and products that improve patient care.
- Healthcare Innovation Designer: Working within hospitals or healthcare organisations to drive advancements in patient services and care delivery.
- Design Researchers in Health: Conducting research to inform design decisions and healthcare policies, often collaborating with academic and healthcare institutions.
- Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Health: Shaping health policies and strategies to improve public health outcomes.
- Healthcare Design Consultant: Offering expertise to companies focused on healthcare innovations, helping them develop their product and service offerings.
Collaborations with companies, institutions, governments and NGOs
The Medisign programme at TU Delft is deeply integrated with the professional world, offering students the opportunity to engage with over 120 partner organisations. These collaborations include design companies, healthcare institutions, governments and NGOs.
Our extensive network, cultivated through years of interaction with the health and healthcare sector, opens doors for students to undertake internships and participate in projects that have a tangible impact on health and well-being. By working closely with a wide range of partners, Medisign students are able to apply their learning in real-world contexts, gaining valuable insight and experience that prepares them for future careers in health and healthcare design.
Frequently asked questions
You must ensure that you meet the following requirements to qualify for the Medisign specialisation
- You must be enrolled in one of the Master’s programmes at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology. Either Strategic Product Design (SPD), Design for Interaction (DfI) or Integrated Product Design (IPD).
- You must complete at least one Master-specific design studio with a health or healthcare focus of at least 10 ECTS.
- Complete a minimum of 2 Medisign electives (2x 5ECTS), with at least 1 elective from IDE.
- You must complete a health-related graduation project.
You can find out more about the requirements and curriculum here.
If you meet the above requirements, you can fill in the form here to apply for Medisign.
The Medisign MSc Specialisation is an accreditation you will receive on your MSc diploma. We urge you to complete the form here as soon as you know you want to become part of the Medisign community. You will be added to the Brightspace Medisign environment and invited to all Medisign events.
You can choose to do a health-related case in one of thedesign studios in any one of the Master programs, either in semester 1 or semester 2. Ask the coordinator of the design studio about opportunities for a health-related case at the start of the course.
Yes, some electives from outside the IDE faculty can be considered. If you would like to do an elective from another faculty or another university in the Netherlands that has a healthcare focus, please contact us (medisign-IDE@tudelft.nl) to discuss the possibilities.
Yes, a health-focused internship or research internship can also count as a Medisign elective. However, you need to make sure it is registered within the faculty as an official internship elective and contact the Medisign coordinator to make sure the internship brief qualifies as a Medisign focused internship.
Yes, however it is important to make sure that you have completed the credit requirements for the specialisation including the 10 ECTS for the Master-specific healthcare focused project in a design studio. Even if you are in your second year, you can fill in the form here to apply for the Medisign specialisation and you will be added to the Brightspace environment.
The Medisign specialisation offers a direction within your design career. You will be able to build a portfolio of healthcare-related design projects that showcase your experience in the real-life healthcare ecosystem. You will learn to speak the language of the healthcare sector in order to communicate effectively with them. You will expand your network through the various real-world projects.
A course or project is marked as ‘Medisign’ if it deals with topics such as care, cure and/or prevention in the field of health and health care. This theme should be described at the beginning of the course or project – in the project brief or course description – and not added at a later stage. If you are in doubt as to whether a course, project brief or topic fits the Medisign Specialisation, please contact the course coordinator and the Medisign coordinator.
Meet the Medisign Board 2023 - 2024
The Medisign Board organises events, writes newsletters and represents the interests of Medisign students. Feel free to contact them to get involved!
