Online MDS in Design for Human Health
Boston, USA
Master degree
DURATION
4 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 Feb 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 1,464 / per credit *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* additional fees may apply
The Online Master of Design Studies in Design for Human Health is a 4-semester degree program in which you’ll gain specialized knowledge and skills in the growing field of designing for human health and wellness.
You’ll merge physical, environmental, and social sciences with spatial design as you learn to assess and propose design improvements in private and public spaces that respond to human needs, with the goal of complementing and enhancing physical activity, cognitive performance, and psychological and physiological health and well-being.
The BAC Difference
- Study with working professionals: Your instructors are leaders in the field and bring current perspectives on design studies into the classroom.
- In-depth, week-long residencies in Boston: Each year in August, you’ll come to the BAC’s central urban location to study in residence through in-person instruction, field trips, and hands-on studios. These innovative intensive weeks give students and faculty the opportunity to build strong relationships, setting up a positive, connected studio culture that enhances the online learning throughout the rest of the year.
Work full time while you study, and study from anywhere in the world on your own schedule as you prepare for an advanced career in industry, research and higher education, and nonprofit organizations such as:
- Wellness and health design specialist
- Independent consultant
- Research and higher education
- Non-profit organizations
- Building manager
- Chief wellness officer
- Access and inclusive designer
- Architectural or interior design firm research team member
- #4 Best Architecture School, GradReports
- #9 Most Hired from Architecture Schools, DesignIntelligence
Wide-Ranging Curriculum
- Courses examine universal design, environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology, and neurobiology as related to health and theories of well-being, exploring the ways these concepts intersect with design theory
- Confront real-world problems, brainstorm solutions, and develop prototypes of your own designs
- Undertake a practical thesis project that investigates a specific subject of your professional interest.
- Develop scholarship to navigate scientific and theoretical evidence and peer-reviewed literature.
Earning the degree of your dreams is an important investment for you and for your future. The Boston Architectural College and our experienced Financial Aid staff are here to help you achieve this goal by providing you with plenty of resources and guidance along the way.
Scholarships and Awards
The Boston Architectural College offers our talented and deserving students a number of scholarships, honors, and awards to help make paying for college easier for them and their families. Grants and scholarships are open for all to apply.
The BAC will determine eligibility for each student for scholarships and awards; in many cases, you will be automatically considered and do not need to take further actions. We will reach out to you to let you know if there are next steps you need to take, such as writing an essay or submitting your portfolio.
- The Alumni Scholarship - Segment I Outstanding Student Award
- The Alumni Scholarship - Segment I Portfolio Award
- The Alumni Scholarship - Segment II Outstanding Student Award
- The Alumni Scholarship - Thesis Award
- Dean's Award
- Designers Lighting Forum Scholarship
- The William P. Francisco IV, B.Arch '04 Memorial Scholarship
- The Heenan Scholarship
- Robert Houseman and Richard Kirkham Scholarship
- IPAL Fellowship
- Memorial Scholarship
- The William E. Nast Scholarship
- The Richard Painter Scholarship
- The John Heman Pilling Architecture Design Scholarship
- The Robert Scagliotti, '69, '08 (HON.) Scholarship
- The Steffian Bradley Architects Scholarship
- Student Scholarships Award
- A. Anthony Tappé Fontainebleau Prize
Outside Scholarships
- AIA/ALNNJ
- AIA Rhode Island
- AIA Site Preservation Grant
- The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Worldstudio Scholarship
- American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation
- Archaeological Institute of America Grants and Awards
- Center for Architecture Foundation Scholarships and Grants
- The Charles E. Peterson Prize
- CINTAS Fellowship in Architecture and Design
- Conservation and Heritage Management Award
- Elizabeth Bartman Museum Internship and Scholarship Conservation and Heritage Management Award
- The Garden Club Federation of Maine
- Gensler
- Graduate Student Paper Award - Archaeological Institute of America
- Graduate Student Travel Award
- The Horticultural Research Institute Endowment Fund
- Houzz Scholarship Programs
- Jane C. Waldbaum Archaeological Field School Scholarship
- The MNLA Foundation for Educational Excellence Scholarship Program
- NEWH Scholarships
- The Plan NH Fellowship Program
- Society for American Archaeology Scholarships and Grants
- The Tradewell Fellowship