Students are trained to approach design not only in aesthetic or functional terms, but also in terms of its social, cultural, political, and historical impact. This includes training in the history of objects, techniques, and ideas, as well as in prototyping and fabrication practices, and research methodologies— particularly through the use of ethnographic, participatory, or speculative methods.
Located in the ENS Paris-Saclay buildings, the DER has fabrication workshops (textiles, printing, wood, metal, digital, and ceramics), classrooms for students, a laboratory for doctoral students, and has access to all the facilities offered by ENS Paris-Saclay and Paris-Saclay University on the Moulon campus.
The DER Design offers two distinct but combinable student tracks: one focused on research and the other focused on teaching.
The Research Track
The Research Track is structured around the Master’s in Design Research, co-accredited by
- ENS Paris-Saclay,
- ENSCI — Les Ateliers
- Télécom ParisTech (IP Paris).
With each school contributing specific expertise, courses, resources, and networks of professionals, this program aims to create a platform for learning and professional development for students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. in design afterward. The program includes the development of an understanding of the complex systems (technical, cultural, economic) within which design operates, as well as research-specific tools and methods (writing articles, problem-formulation, documentation). Emphasis is also placed on approaches to the ecological transition, through practical explorations of new design approaches (manufacturing, materials, approaches to circularity, situational design, co-design, etc.). The program comprises four major educational areas:
- research practice;
- methodology;
- critical theory; and
- general education.
Interdisciplinarity is also a central element of the master’s program, thanks to the opportunity to complete internships in other laboratories, particularly by taking advantage of the ecosystem at Paris-Saclay University or the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. The first year of the Master’s program is structured around thematic project workshops and practical and theoretical courses, while the second year is dedicated to students’ final projects, which are intended to help them develop their research proposals for a future Ph.D. Courses are taught in French and English.
The Teaching Track
This track is structured around the FESup Master’s program, which offers training for careers in higher education in design and applied arts. It covers the practical and theoretical aspects of design disciplines (history and philosophy), as well as the pedagogical elements of project dynamics and on-site teaching training sessions. Based on a dual perspective, the M2Fesup program explores the fundamental elements of design practices and theories. It combines a range of traditional lectures (history of the discipline, philosophical aesthetics, introduction to contemporary design practices), project workshops, and internships and practical experiences aimed at applying project-based learning in an educational context. The vast majority of its students find professional opportunities through the agrégation in design and arts and crafts, which qualifies them for positions in high schools and colleges of applied arts.
An affiliated laboratory
In addition to these two tracks, the DER Design program shares a laboratory with the École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle (ENSCI) – Les Ateliers: the Center for Design Research (CRD).
This laboratory has offices and benefits from the infrastructure of both institutions, in Saclay and Paris, and hosts researchers and faculty members from both institutions. The integration of education and research is also fostered through the interactions developed between the CRD and the various Master’s programs.
Partners
The DER Design program at ENS Paris-Saclay is part of the Design track at Paris-Saclay University, which is part of the Graduate School of Humanities and Heritage Sciences. In this sense, members of this specialization and the Graduate School are natural partners of the DER, as are the University of Evry Val d’Essonne and ENSAAMA with the Design Strategy Engineering, or the Versailles School of Architecture and its research laboratory LéAV. Other member schools of Paris-Saclay University are involved in design collaborations, such as with Centrale Supélec on the design of complexity or with AgroParisTech on issues of sustainable practices. Finally, the DER Design partners with the University’s design units, such as the Design Spot, the FabLab and LUMEN.
The joint accreditation of the Research Master’s program with Télécom ParisTech, a member of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, fosters connections with all components of the IPP. Similarly, close ties with ENSCI-Les Ateliers, both in education through shared courses and in research through the Design Research Center, open up a wide range of collaborative opportunities with industrial partners and the professional design community.
In addition, numerous partnerships have been established with French design schools, particularly for student exchanges at the L3 level (see degree programs): ENSCI, ENSAD, ESADSE, ENSPV, ENSAMAA, and École Boulle.