Design is an encompassing discipline central to every aspect of life. The Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture, within the School of Human Ecology, supports a focus on the relationships between humans and the objects and environments they create and use. Through our collaborations with the Design Studies Department, we support design research and initiatives related to human-centered design, design innovation, visualization, historical and cultural studies, emerging technology, and creative practice.
IMPACT31: Growing the Design Pillar
As a signature initiative of our OneSoHE31 strategic plan, IMPACT31 represents a three-year strategic investment designed to accelerate transformational change across the School of Human Ecology. Through this strategic investment, the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture is partnering with the Design Studies department to grow the Design Pillar of the center. During the 2026-27 academic year, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders will be iterating projects and ideas that will work together to strengthen the design work of the center and the department, and provide new resources to support new design initiatives.
Phillip A. Levy Fellowship in Life-centered Design
The Phillip A. Levy Fellowship in Life-centered Design is believed to be the first of its kind in the world. Housed within the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture, the fellowship brings a visiting designer, professor, instructor, or lecturer to campus to advance life-centered design as a practice and a field, connecting directly to center’s broader work building design education, student innovation programs, and partnerships at UW–Madison.
Design Lecture Series
The Design Lecture Series is an annual program offered through the Design Studies Department in co-sponsorship with the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture. Twice each semester, a scholar and/or maker is invited to campus to present a public lecture. In conjunction with their lecture, they visit classes within the Design Studies Department, meet with faculty and students, and even host workshops for students connected to their practice. Click below for more information and to watch recordings of past lectures.
Design Research Faculty Fellowship
The Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture’s Design Research Faculty Fellowship program is an exciting opportunity for UW–Madison faculty members to engage in substantial projects with the center team, particularly around classes, exhibitions, and programs connected to design research. Below are examples of past projects that were a part of the previous collaborative faculty-in-residence programs.
Affiliated Programs
The Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture collaborates with a number of design programs offered through the Design Studies Department in the School of Human Ecology through course engagements, exhibitions in our galleries, research visits to the collection, and more. We also offer a number of student employment and fellowship opportunities available to all UW–Madison students.
Interior Architecture Program
This four-year professional program, accredited by the Council of Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment.
Design, Innovation & Society Program
Through this major, students explore the interconnectedness between people, technology, culture, and social change to address today’s complex societal issues through an expanded understanding of design.
Design Strategy Certificate
The certificate in Design Strategy provides undergraduate students from all majors with a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to problem solving for strategic change.
MS Design + Innovation (MD+I) Program
A graduate program in applied design, developing fluency in creative problem solving and collaboration across disciplines. Students take on intractable challenges to create positive change in our state and beyond, guided by the Wisconsin Idea.
Design Studies PhD Program
Through this major, students will explore the interconnectedness between people, technology, culture, and social change to address today’s complex societal issues through an expanded understanding of design.
