Design Cultures & Creativity

About the DCC program

DCC is one of the most interdisciplinary programs in the country, bringing together students from 46 different majors on campus from a wide range of backgrounds. DCC fosters an open, collaborative and social environment that encourages students to explore relationships between design, society and creative practices.

The DCC community is passionate about emerging technologies and their impact on the world, and even more importantly, how design can change the world. DCC students are innovative thinkers and makers who engage in research and collaborative projects on topics as varied as identity, connectivity, social justice, art, design and all things creative in an era when digital media links us on a scale unprecedented in human history.

DCC encourages students to think beyond disciplinary boundaries and approach problems from multiple perspectives by providing them with the resources to tackle any issue or goal. Their courses, lab facilities and workshops provide spaces for exploration, thinking through ideas and experimenting with processes of building, designing and creating in the digital age.

DCC strongly values inclusivity and aims to cultivate a community of lifelong learners who are critically engaged thinkers. DCC students are the future’s makers and doers, able to expand our notions of human potential, not merely technologically but also socially and creatively.

“The Honors College made my college decision fairly easy. As an out-of-state student, I was greatly attracted to UMD because of the Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC) [Living-Learning Program]. It has allowed me to supplement the math and science skills in Aerospace Engineering, with my passion for digital art and film. I enjoy the endless amount of resources and opportunities offered by the Honors College, specifically for it’s students. [UMD] prizes it’s Honors College and gives back to its students tremendously. As part of the Honors college, I feel like royalty.”

Jayson DeNovellis