World University of Design

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the Vice Chancellor at World University of Design. Dr Gupta has had a distinguished academic career of more than three decades. Bringing the same expertise in the institute, he wants to guide and educate the students to carve a career in the art and design field. He is a visionary leader who plans for the future and the same can be observed in his strategies for the institute. Read here to know more about him. 

What is your vision for the World University of Design? Has it evolved over time, and how far along in implementing that vision are you?

“The field of art and design has evolved over time and so has the opportunities in the domain”

Fields of studies like art and design, although existing, could not expand as the demand for employment was not consistent. That scenario has drastically transformed now. Today design is all around us; physical spaces, virtual spaces, electronic devices, mechanical devices, apparel, and accessories are designed to fulfil our specific needs more efficiently than ever. Owing to the growing awareness and design consciousness among people, the design is often the differentiator when it comes to making a purchase decision. Thus, creating a tremendous scope for the Design Industry to thrive in India. It is resulting in the creation of a handful of job opportunities for students holding a degree in design. This is where WUD comes into picture bolstering design aspirants with adequate education to become successful design professionals. 

What do you see as your World University of Design’s greatest strengths?

“We are one of the few institutions educating students about quality design and their impacts”

In a globally competitive world, it is the quality of design that has a significant impact on the overall experience and usability of the products and services created. There are only a handful of institutions addressing this need and catering to quality in this field of knowledge and practice. WUD is India's first and only design university, focusing entirely towards addressing cause while upholding global standards of design education.

“WUD became the youngest university to be awarded a design and innovation capacity-building grant under the ERASMUS plus program of the EU. In its very first year WUD was recognized as the ‘Most Emerging University’ by ASSOCHAM India and was ranked 2nd among the ‘Top 10 Private Universities’ in Professional Education by Education World Grand Jury Awards.”

How does the curriculum of the World University of Design ensure the best practice of industry?

“The unique measures followed at WUD to make its students industry ready and future-ready”

  • Practical learning approach:The best way to go about practical learning is to adopt an immersive, project-based, and technology-oriented curriculum close to the real world to learn and experiment. Collaboration is the key. WUD curriculum can provide students with sufficient exposure to working across streams, doing live projects. Only such an approach will help them build their professional skills.
  • Campus without Walls: Universities without walls stand to transcend the typical internal and external barriers of the current educational model: The rigid division of campuses into departments and programs; the divide between curricular and extra-curricular, between theories and practices. WUD encourages collaboration across institutional boundaries, creating solver communities or communities of practice.
  • Personalized Learning:  WUD’s personalized approach allows for individualized learning and alternate modes of assessment. It supports a faster or slower pace and allows student mobility across streams and institutions.
  • Open electives to provide flexibility & interdisciplinarity: WUD recognizes that optimized pathways with a career-aligned curriculum and learning objectives work well for some students, while other students may want the opportunity to explore uncharted territories. WUD, therefore, offers open elective courses that are interdisciplinary, addressing issues in art, aesthetics, literature, ethics, moral & political philosophy, etc. Some electives have also been planned for the entrepreneurial bent of mind with maker-spaces and innovation labs.
  • Using Advanced Technologies:The contours of designing and manufacturing are rapidly changing, and future looks very different. Many existing technologies will go obsolete. WUD, therefore, integrating the latest technologies in its course deliveries and making sure that students are well-versed in new as well as emerging technologies.

Check World University of Design Courses & Fees

How do you strategize about the key programs of your university?

“Fashion is still an all-time favourite, and so is architecture” 

What’s new in this massive swing towards more technical programs like product design, interior design, animation, game design, and transportation design. In visual arts, there is a significant move away from the traditional courses. Creative painting, contemporary art, and fashion art are attracting students. The design thinking based bachelor’s program in Design Strategy & management is another popular program.

As times & technologies change, existing programs would lose their relevance, and newer ones would come in. At WUD, we have mapped the latest industry demands and created many new and unique programs. Some of the new programs introduced by WUD are – BDes in Computer Science & Design, Animation & Game Design, and Transportation Design; MDes in UX and Interaction Design; BBA/MBA in Design Strategy & Management; MVA in Curatorial Practices in Art, Art & Design History, Fashion Art, Contemporary Art, etc.

“Careers in the creative field are on an upswing. Presently, there is an estimated requirement of more than 60000 qualified designers across different design domains in India against a supply of slightly over 7000 trained designers. About 6000 odd students are currently pursuing design education. There is thus a huge gap in demand & supply.”

What are some plans for WUD for international exposure?

“We make sure students are continuously in sync with current industry trends across the world”

International exposure is an essential part of design education and can be tremendously rewarding and productive to the students. WUD has signed nearly ten MoUs with leading educational institutions across the globe to facilitate a constant exchange of students, scholars, research topics on every subject - Vancouver Film School & Emily Carr University (Canada); University of Huddersfield & Oxford Brookes University (UK); ENSAIT and Academie Charpentier (France); University of Utrecht (Holland), HAMK (Finland) and College of Creative Studies, Michigan (USA).

WUD considers international exchanges as exposures that enhance a students' personality and broadens the vision. Besides exchanges, WUD also invites professors of Design from around the world to come and teach at WUD. In the last year alone Prof. Mark Watson from RMIT Australia and Prof. Joel Peterson from Swedish College of Textiles have held workshops of up to 2 weeks at WUD.

WUD invites other renowned personalities from universities around the world to share their knowledge and expertise with students.