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Unit of study_
DESN9203: Design Research Project
2025 unit information
In this unit students will work on an individual research project exploring key components of design innovation or strategic design from a theoretical or practical perspective. The focus of the project should align to the student's specialisation and be related to an area of interest. Students can choose to follow one of the primary types of design research: design (a fundamental component of the research is the design and implementation of a strategy, intervention, or product) or empirical (empirical data gathering is required to understand a phenomenon, practice or method). Students must prepare a research proposal outlining the research objectives and questions, a brief literature review, the research methodology and a timeline. The project is written up into a research report, and may include evidence and design documentation. This unit of work can be taken alone for students wishing to build their knowledge and skills of design research, or in conjunction with DESN9204 Design Dissertation for students who wish to pursue postgraduate research study upon the completion of the Master of Design.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Design Lab |
| Credit points | 12 |
|
Prerequisites:
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IDEA9106 and 18 credit points from (DESN9003 and DESN9100) or (DESN9004 and DESN9200) |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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DESN9001 or DESN9002 |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Plan, scope and manage an independent research-based project
- LO2. Critically engage with published scholarship and trusted sources of data to identify gaps and contributions in knowledge
- LO3. Select and apply appropriate research methods to answer research questions
- LO4. Communicate persuasively through diverse forms of media the value and validity of design research proposals, findings and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences
- LO5. Work independently, with an ability to make independent judgements, reflect, self-evaluate and self-improve, and incorporate the feedback of others
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
Important enrolment information
Departmental permission requirements
If you see the ‘Departmental Permission’ tag below a session, it means you need faculty or school approval to enrol. This may be because it’s an advanced unit, clinical placement, offshore unit, internship or there are limited places available.
You will be prompted to apply for departmental permission when you select this unit in Sydney Student.
Read our information on departmental permission.
Additional advice
This unit is available to Master of Design students only. Students must seek permission to enrol from the Program Director before the start of the teaching semester.
