collageAn MBA designed for a changing world
Our two-year, low-residency MBA in Design Strategy program (DMBA) is a graduate business program with five four-day residencies held each month of a semester. Set against the backdrop of the Bay Area, a region known for its unshakeable belief in a better world, the MBA in Design Strategy trains future leaders to question, listen, and put human needs at the center of decision-making.
This is uniquely possible at an art and design college, where we recognize systems are made—not given—and operate with the optimism that systems can be made better. We do much more than analyze balance sheets and come up with marketing plans; we imagine alternate futures and then build them. At its core, the DMBA is about innovation and reinvention. Our pedagogy lends itself to opening the conversation to more voices, rather than maintaining the status quo.
“The DMBA does a really great job at combining both qualitative and quantitative courses. I’m not only learning about the logistics in business and administration, but also learning how to become a more thoughtful human being.”
— Jeanette Melgarejo
(MBA Design Strategy 2017)
Student work
FreshLit
Phumelele Mthimunye, Rebecca Luoh, Marcie Chin, Daniel Quon
Top Shelf Books
Rebecca Luoh, Nick Brooks, Maisee Xiong, Justin Paul, Candelaria Ochoa
Business Model for Levi’s Made ‘n Crafted
Lucy Sweeney, July Li, Candelaria Ochoa, Lin Liu and Ximena Sarango
Financial Ratio Rundown
Stacey Fischer
The Current Laundromat Experience Journey
Pily Támara
Tea-Mersion Wall Rapid Prototype
Jared Helton, Marianeth Crockett, Pooja Vijay Kumar, Maya Lawrence, Yujia HeView full gallery
Studios + Shops
Access resources that amplify your ambitions
CCA is an interdisciplinary community that centers making, which means the depth of our MBA program is unparalleled. We actively practice design strategy every semester through a pathway of studio courses that teach how to use market insights to build products, create experiences, and launch businesses. In addition to dedicated studio space for heads-down work, students have access to model-making, rapid prototyping, and multimedia technology for the range of projects they take on to bring this work to life.
Cutting-edge tools and labs
Use 3D printers, CNC routers, and other digital fabrication tools in the Rapid Prototyping StudioThe Hybrid Lab is an open space for experimenting with robotics, VR/AR, haptic touch, and moreCheck out DSLRs, lighting kits, audio equipment, and more from the Media Center
Faculty
Industry experience informs every lesson
DMBA faculty bring expertise from their outside practices to the classroom, ensuring that students learn the most current methods. Together, through focused student and faculty collaboration, we take advantage of the space between disciplines and reimagine problem-solving in ways that are unconventional and unexpected.
Sara Fenske Bahat, Chair of MBA in Design Strategy
Chair Sara Fenske Bahat came to design looking for a new way to solve problems. She worked in economic development in New York City, then as a bank regulator, then as a banker. As she looked at the challenges in economic and community development, she wanted the chance to solve these problems using the human-centered creative approach that design methods offer. As both an alum and chair of the DMBA program, Bahat uses her understanding of social systems, economics, and iterative problem-solving to sustain art and culture ecosystems, empower students, and foster productive partnerships.View all Design Strategy faculty
Faculty stories
Design pedagogy for collective workExploring the outer realm with Susan WorthmanDesign division welcomes two new chairs
Curriculum
Business is different inside an art school
Ranked as one of the best design programs in the world, our curriculum starts with asking great questions, examines the increasing complexity of markets and products, pushes students creatively, and culminates with every student considering the go-to-market strategies for a venture that is meaningful to them. View sample courses.Explore DMBA’s unique curriculum
collage