Program Description
Full Description
The Elliot Master of Healthcare Design degree is a STEM-designated, post-professional degree and one of the very few in the nation focusing on the design of healthcare facilities. Program faculty empower students to use design as a powerful tool to advocate for safety, satisfaction and efficiency for all stakeholders, from patients to caregivers. As a member of the AIA's Design and Health Research Consortium, the M.H.D. degree exemplifies interdisciplinary innovation.
Kent State University prides itself in offering a leading healthcare design program grounded in innovation, translational research and scholarship — preparing outstanding professionals whose passion in human-centered design will transform the future of the healthcare design industry.
The M.H.D. degree stands out as a distinguished post-professional endeavor dedicated to shaping healthcare facility design. With its STEM designation, the program leverages scientific principles to equip emerging professionals as future leaders in healthcare design, emphasizing both empathic and evidence-based approaches.
This program's strength lies in its comprehensive curriculum, blending design, research and experiential learning. Through a holistic journey, students gain vital healthcare knowledge, refine design skills and acquire research skills, which are crucial for crafting innovative spaces prioritizing safety and satisfaction for patients, staff and caregivers. Moreover, the program's flexibility is showcased through a broad curriculum, offering elective courses from various disciplines such as public health and nursing. With completion timelines ranging from one to two years, students can tailor their academic path to suit their needs.
The culminating experience within the program is the completion of a master's project, where students develop their visions by designing a healthcare environment of their choice. Inspired by evidence-based design principles, students are trained to conduct research and integrate that into their design processes. This experience is enriched by highly qualified faculty and external practice-based mentors.
A core mission of the program is to enrich students' networks with professionals in the field and expose them to real-world projects that broaden their perspectives. Testament to the program's excellence, its graduates are sought after by premier healthcare-focused architecture and design firms, receive prestigious awards and recognition on an international level and present and publish in scholarly outlets.