Research training for postgraduate design research: a review and curriculum design proposal

Design students often come to postgraduate degrees with professional expertise but limited exposure to research and academic literacies. While a range of strategies exist for ensuring such exposure, the design and provision of assessed coursework training for postgraduate design students is a common curriculum strategy. Little is known about the current characteristics of research training in design research and in particular its articulation into the doctoral curriculum and the dissertation and thesis project. This paper examines the articulation of research training in ten institutions in Australia, Italy, the US and UK offering doctorates in design with coursework. Findings from this review were used in the curriculum design of one semester Advanced Design Research Methods (HDR904) at Swinburne University of Technology, where the author teaches. This proposes a hybrid format that may be a useful model for other institutions.