Undergraduate Program (B.Des)

Our Philosophy 

“FLAME School of Design believes that the field of design is no longer just about making; it is about having a systemic view of the world and approaching opportunities and modern world needs through creative and comprehensive resolution. Thus, leveraging the liberal approach of FLAME, the School of Design drives to equip students with relevant and new generation competencies that make their approach, as designers, holistic.” 

Fostering design skills through cross-pollination of liberal education disciplines

The School of Design, part of the liberal education curriculum of FLAME, provides students a platform to explore other avenues that complement the field of design. 

Through collaboration across the departments within the university, our competency-first curriculum fosters interdisciplinary and adaptable skills, giving students an edge in the modern world.

The pillars of our competency-first curriculum 

Breadth and depth of disciplines

Diverse yet complementary perspectives

insight-first approach

Systems thinking

Making and doing

Creating the future of design and future designers

The School of Design is for the ‘future designer’ who aspires to cater to modern world needs and turn new ideas into reality. We are equipping students with the vital skills of tomorrow through a strong foundation and curriculum that upholds industry and global standards.

About FLAME 

‘From here, the great go forth.’ 

Spread over 60 acres of green expanse, FLAME University stands tall in the heart of Pune. 

FLAME has changed the way our students learn by going beyond the classroom and into the real world, providing them with an educational experience where they can choose their unique career paths. 

Rooted in the Indian tradition and rising as a pioneer of Liberal Education in India, we create thinkers and doers who question the status quo and challenge themselves. We aim to construct knowledge ecologies that liberate students' minds from traditional thinking, allow them to reach their full potential and lead them on a path of self-discovery. 

Equipping our students to thrive in the real world and make their mark

We believe that each student’s creativity, imagination, and passion are extraordinary and need to be recognized. By welcoming creativity, self-discovery, and innovation, we shape careers, minds, and life in a truly symbiotic and collaborative environment. 

Our intense and intellectual curriculum caters to worldly interests across five schools

• FLAME School of Liberal Education
• FLAME School of Computing and Data Sciences
• FLAME School of Business
• FLAME School of Communication 
• FLAME School of Design, Art & Performance

Each school centres on perspective building, studying problems to give creative

solutions, teamwork and ethics. We also strongly emphasize international collaborations, commitment to public service, and high-quality, impactful research that forms our rigorous and experiential pedagogy. 

Therefore, when our students step out into the real world, they are ready to go out there and create change. 

And when they go beyond FLAME, the FLAME within them stays alive. 

The FLAME Vision 

Empower minds. Transform society.

FLAME University exists to build an aspirational destination for students and faculty, to push the design and nature of studies and to create a societal elevation phenomenon, particularly in liberal education and leadership. 

FLAME will continue to be a leader in creating and disseminating knowledge. Being a pioneer of liberal education, we promote interdisciplinary teaching and impactful research that inspires new ways of thinking. We believe in transforming society through cultivating wisdom, ethics, and character. We hope to pursue these goals in all our endeavours. 

FLAME started with the objective of giving back to society. We are committed to becoming a world-class centre for higher learning in India. 

While our journey has been exhilarating, we will continue to follow our guiding principle and instil a passion for learning and curiosity within our young minds and the generation of tomorrow. 

Accreditation 

FLAME University has been established as a State Private university vide the FLAME University Act 2014 (Maharashtra Act No. II of 2015) of the Government of Maharashtra. 

FLAME University is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 2(f), and degrees awarded by the University are recognized under Section 22 of the UGC Act, 1956. 

Our Postgraduate Business Program, offered by FLAME School of Business, has been accepted into the CFA University Affiliation Program. 

Leadership 

The leadership team at FLAME University is responsible for articulating our vision, defining the benchmarks and goals, and overseeing implementation and achievements. The team provides rigorous leadership through purposeful and consultative oversight.

(Include the images of the leadership team with Name and Designation)

Advisory Board

The FLAME School of Design Advisory Boards supports our curriculum to be in sync with the global expectations of designers and evolve with industry standards.

Don Norman

Don Norman is the Director of The Design Lab at University of California, San Diego. He is also the co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group. He is widely regarded for his expertise in the fields of design, usability engineering, and cognitive science, and has shaped the development of the field of cognitive systems engineering. He also holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego. Norman is an active Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), where he spends two months a year teaching. 

Anijo Mathew

Anijo Mathew is the Interim Dean of the Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, USA. He has been on the faculty of ID for over 13 years. Previously, he served as the Head of the Department of Art and Design at the American University of Sharjah in the UAE. His research evaluates new models of innovation enabled by technology and media convergence through the lenses of design fiction, design-led innovation, and entrepreneurship. He works with global organizations to adapt and change strategic responses to transforming technologies.

Simona Maschi

Simona Maschi is a co-founder and director of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. Leading the overall organisation at CIID she heads a team that encompasses a world class consultancy, education programme and a research lab.

Simona is an expert in service design, scenario design and design methods and is passionate about design solutions that create a positive impact on the world. She supports this vision through creating a design culture that works in collaboration with academia and industry. Recent projects have explored topics such as private and public transportation, health and wellbeing, sustainable housing, and smart cities.

Deepak Menon

Deepak Menon is the Partner Director and leads the Product Design and Research teams across products in the Experience & Devices (E+D) division at Microsoft India. Deepak’s team helped define the enquiry around ‘What is productivity for billions of mobile-only users’ which has led to product innovations like Kaizala and Microsoft Office – mobile products that helps businesses connect with their value chain to collaborate and complete business workflows. Deepak was also responsible for designing and defining the Ribbon interface for Microsoft Office. He was also the driver for the Microsoft centre for Information work which reimagined the future of productivity and won the IDSA gold reward in 2003.

Ashwini Deshpande

Ashwini Deshpande is an author and co-founder/Director of Elephant, a leading multidisciplinary design consultancy with offices in India and Singapore. 

Mohan Krishnaraj

Mohan Krishnaraj is currently the Chief Experience Officer at Wongdoody, Infosys, India. He is an advocate for user-centric design with over two decades of experience in the industry, Mohan has a proven track record of enabling UX-led business transformations for blue chip companies including Capital One, US Bank, Walmart, Tesco, GE, Airbus and Sony. Prior to joining Infosys, Mohan was the Vice President and Global Head of User Experience and Digital Design at HARMAN (A Samsung Company). 

What is Liberal Education? 

Transformative and holistic learning for the real-world

The skills needed to succeed in a fast-paced and ever-changing world

Thinking critically and creatively

collaborating effectively with others

Adapting quickly to changing situations

Beyond domain expertise, today’s students must be armed with classic liberal arts skills to succeed. This is the premise of Liberal Education - a multidisciplinary approach to learning that exposes students to various subjects and scenarios. It helps them evolve into well-rounded individuals who can solve challenges in real-world situations. 

As an institution dedicated to academic excellence and personal growth, we enable transformative learning that aids students in their personal and professional journeys. 

Liberal Education inculcates 

• Broad knowledge of multiple disciplines 
• In-depth study of a chosen discipline 
• Differential approach to interdisciplinary learning 
• Transferable skill set 
• Ability to apply knowledge to practical real-world situations 
• Connecting the dots through various mental models 
• Habits of self-reflection 
• Contextual learning 
• Freedom of the mind 
• Lifelong learning

Degree Offered 

Bachelor of Design 

(Major in Experience Design)

FLAME School of Design offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree, rooted in liberal education centered around experience design. 

This interdisciplinary Experience Design program prepares you for a fulfilling career in designing technology-driven human experiences - digital & interactive interfaces, tangible interfaces, different forms of immersive storytelling, service design, and more.

Working collaboratively, you can transform your design skills into creative solutions with positive long-term impact.

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Build solid foundations on the in-demand skills

With a growing focus of industries on human and user experience, the degree builds a robust foundation of relevant and transferable skills to help students adapt to dynamic industry environments and demands. 

In the first year, students will study foundational subjects that introduce them to design, technology, business , and humanities.

Delve deep and master a niche

As the course progresses, students will be able to master niche skills as they delve deeper into subjects of their choice, giving them an undeniable professional advantage. 

Broaden your horizons with a cross-disciplinary minor

What sets the degree apart is the cross-disciplinary module that allows the School of Design to draw subjects from FLAME’s other schools and collaborate with them.

This gives students an opportunity to pair their design major with subjects from business, humanities, and technology as a minor.

How does this program empower students?

• Build a robust, holistic foundation that nurtures design sensibilities through thinking and creating. 
• Create new ideas, execute them, and develop new knowledge through research and practice. 
• Get exposure to a spectrum of subjects that immerse them in the world of technology with a prominent focus on humanities through computational design.
• Explore and navigate human behaviour, cognition and psychology along with technology and data. 
• Learn how to harness their learning to create purposeful outcomes for modern world needs. 

Who is this program for? 

The School of Design welcomes all students with an inclination to learn through design and liberal education, especially those who: 

• Want to combine two distinct yet complementing fields of study and work
• Are interested in technology with a nuanced humanities and business approach 
• Are eager to learn from a distinct practice-led curriculum that imparts theoretical education through hands-on industry projects 

What are the career options after this program?

• User Experience Designer (UX Designer)
• Interaction Designer
• User Experience Researcher (UX Researcher)
• Design Researcher
• Service Designer
• Product Designer
• Design Consultant
• Entrepreneur

Testimonial 

Words from our students:

By Tina Mangwani, BBA Marketing, a batch of 2017-20 with a Design Minor at FLAME. Presently pursuing her Master's in Design from RMIT University, Melbourne.

“Having completed a minor in design at FLAME, I went on to pursue a masters in the field owing to the strong foundation built through the course. I learnt through an array of subjects that not only covered all bases but also escalated my intrigue and verve for the field. With a full-fledged design curriculum now offered as a major, I can only imagine how the boundaries of design and technology can be pushed.”