To start writing your statement of purpose for masters in design, brainstorm, free-write, and collect your thoughts. Your SOP should be a dive into relevant life experiences, academic and professional background (if applicable), career goals, co-curricular activities, volunteering/community involvement, and more.
Refer to these effective guidelines to draft a stellar SOP for masters in design programs.
![How to Draft a Design SOP]()
Introduction
What motivated you to choose design as your interest? What is the strongest experience that led you to choose this field? For example, how on a trip to Barcelona, Spain you were awestruck by Antoni Gaudí’s monumental designs and how this formative experience eventually translated into your passion for architecture/design.
- Begin your introduction with an attention-grabbing experience that is evocative of your journey into the field.
- Alternatively, you can also begin with a research problem statement that you consider exploring in your future MA/MFA design program.
- This is because some programs directly seek an SOP for design that is more of a research proposal than it is otherwise.
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For example, The School of Design, University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign clearly instructs applicants to devise the SOP in the form of a research proposal with research questions and interests that resonate with one or two of the faculty members. So, research is the key ingredient in the recipe of your design SOP!
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Second Paragraph
Building on the onset of interest in design/architecture, discuss relevant academic and life experiences that have augmented this interest. How has each of these experiences pivoted your thought, streamlined it, or transformed it?
- Here, you can discuss relevant undergraduate experiences or courses in which you developed a particular interest. For example, you must have developed an interest in interior design or colour psychology.
- Touch upon a few course specifics and how these led you to develop your portfolio and inspired you to work on projects relevant to these interests.
- You can discuss interesting projects you worked on or relevant co-curricular experiences worth sharing. Make sure that your experiences align with your interest in the Design program you’re applying for.
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For instance, if you are applying for an MFA in Design for Responsible Innovation, your project on designing the user experience interface for a certain app intended for people suffering from speech disability will be a relevant experience to illustrate.
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Third Paragraph
Have you faced any setbacks in your academics? If you just made the cut or have lesser scores, you can mention that here.
- Have you faced any other unique challenges or setbacks that have redefined your perspectives or interests?
- How did you overcome these challenges and what is/are the positive outcomes of these experiences?
- It’s essential to reflect on the lessons from these experiences to underscore your resilience.
Fourth Paragraph
You can discuss extracurriculars in this paragraph. Remember that Universities are interested to know more than just academics. So, go ahead and speak about your hobbies, social work, volunteering, etc, here. You can also discuss workshops or certifications which you have taken to upgrade your skills.
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However, it’s very important to not make the statement of purpose design an embellished version of your resume.
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Fifth Paragraph
If you have work experience, add it here. But if you do not have work experience, you can also discuss your internship experiences, reflecting on your specific learnings and take-aways. Identify a knowledge gap and the need for you to go for MFA/MA in design.
- How has the work experience/s influenced your career goals? Why do you wish to go for MFA/MA in design now?
- Define your short-term and long-term goals.
- How will the MFA/MA program from a specific design school help you achieve these goals?
- How does the program align with your areas of interest?
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Design schools like to assess your conviction in applying to their programs. Justify your reasons for the choice of the school and the program. Make an effort to understand the values of the school and devise this paragraph accordingly.
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Conclusion
Your conclusion needs to be equally engaging as your introduction in a design SOP. Let’s chcek the pointers that can be included.
- What capabilities equip you to contribute to the University?
- How can you be an asset to the University?
- What activities, clubs, sports, student associations, groups, etc, piqued your interests?
- What diverse experiences do you bring to your future graduate community?
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Sign off with your expectations from the program and how you look forward to receiving, assimilating, and contributing to new knowledge at the University.
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Suggested: How to Write a Good SOP?
