Multidisciplinary Design Program

The Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP) at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a higher education program focused on providing experiential learning opportunities for students across various disciplines. The MDP boasts a team of 48 employees dedicated to enhancing student skills in engineering design and research. The MDP offers three distinct student experiences: Sponsored Projects, Faculty Research Teams, and Student Organization Teams. Sponsored Projects involve small teams of students collaborating with industrial or non-profit clients on structured, two-semester projects. Faculty Research Teams allow students to join ongoing research projects led by faculty Principal Investigators (PIs) for multiple semesters. Student Organization Teams provide course enrollment opportunities for technically advanced student organization members. A key differentiator of the MDP is its commitment to formal studies on the effectiveness of engineering design instruction. This continuous improvement approach ensures that the experiential learning opportunities are constantly evolving and meeting the needs of students. The MDP welcomes collaboration with any University of Michigan department, unit, program, organization, or affiliate interested in partnering to enhance student learning experiences.