Retail is changing. Get ready to move into the future and define your path with Columbus College of Art & Design’s Master of Professional Studies in Retail Design. With CCAD's MPS program, you’ll experience a cutting-edge approach to learning with a rich mix of theory and practice in a curriculum developed and taught by retail experts. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how customers engage with brands and make purchase decisions—from e-commerce to brick and mortar, and everything in between.
Now accepting applications for fall 2023.
Retail is detail
What sets our program apart? A channel-agnostic approach to retail that only an art and design school can offer, balancing business acumen with innovation, inclusivity, and creativity to meet the challenges of tomorrow. You'll gain a mastery of the retail landscape and industry connections that will put your career on the fast track.
A program that works for you
We get it. Your day job is demanding. Our MPS program is designed to fit your life with options to enroll full- or part-time and synchronously online.
Classes are conveniently scheduled on evenings and weekends. You'll be able to earn your degree in 1 year full time or 2 years part time, including summers. No matter where you are, you'll get to meet and bond with your cohort during three in-person meetups in Columbus across the program.
MPS FAQs
- Yes. Classes are offered in the evenings and on weekends. Students may opt to pursue an MPS degree as a full or part-time student.
- Students may elect to enroll in the program synchronously online and remain in their current location while taking classes.
- Low residency refers to a program that meets in compressed bursts in person, with longer stretches of individually mentored work. CCAD does not offer a low residency.
- Students may begin the program as full-time students and opt to scale back to part-time. Students cannot begin part-time and move to full-time.
A limited number of scholarships are available. See details here.
To ensure that the curriculum is highly relevant and current in this specialized industry, CCAD employs practicing professionals in the retail design field to teach the courses in this program.
- Full-time students enroll in 12 credits (4 classes) in fall semester, 12 credits (4 classes) in spring semester, and 6 credits (two classes) in summer semester. Part-time students enroll in 6 credits (2 classes) in fall semester, 6 credits (2 classes) in spring semester, and 3 credits (1 class) in summer. Classes meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evening, and on Saturday morning.
Home to retail
Columbus knows retail. As home to some of the country’s top retailers— Bath & Body Works, Big Lots, and Hollister, to name just a few—you’ll have access to top talent, mentors, and loads of opportunities. Plus, you’ll work directly with one of those retail partners to define and conduct an immersive capstone project.
Get a taste of the program
Join us for our CCAD Knows Retail webinar series on key issues in retail led by experts who are shaping this program. Learn about our Fall 2021 webinars and register to attend.
Not ready to commit to a full degree program or looking to fill a specific skill gap? You can request to enroll in a select set of courses from the MPS. If, later on, you choose to apply to and are accepted to the program, these will count towards your graduation requirements. Email [email protected] for more information.
Hear more from our experts
Meet the Advisory Board
Master of Professional Studies in Retail Design
CCAD’s MPS in Retail Design was created to give you the knowledge and tools you need to advance your career. Key to that is our MPS in Retail Advisory Board, whose members are here to help you make valuable connections as you build and expand your professional network.
Our MPS in Retail Design Advisory Board includes leading minds in the industry, representing such organizations as Bath & Body Works, Big Red Rooster, Chute Gerdeman, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, L Brands, Landor & Fitch, Procter & Gamble, Target, and TENFOLD. Their expertise and insight were key in developing the program curriculum, and members continue to play a valuable role by serving as faculty, as members of students’ individual advisory committees, and as key components of students’ professional networks.
In other words: Our board members are here to ensure that our curriculum meets industry demands and to provide a helping hand for students ready to take their careers to the next level.
President, 42 Solutions, and former Senior Vice President, International Operations, L Brands
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Practice Lead, Retail Solutions Strategy, Taivara Technology Innovations
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Chief Executive, Easton at Steiner + Associates, Inc.
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Executive Vice President, Thought Leadership & Marketing, WD Partners
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Creative Director, Brand Communications, WD Partners
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Chief Marketing Officer, Bath & Body Works
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
L Brands/Bath & Body Works
Founder, Gabby Rosi Collective & former Senior Director of Design and Development, Whole Foods Market
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Design Director Hair Care: Branding, Retail Environments and Digital at Procter & Gamble
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Former Chief Marketing Officer, DSW
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
Designer Shoe Warehouse Inc.
CEO, Warhol & Wall St. & Director, Columbus Fashion Alliance
MPS Retail Design Advisory Board
See Retail Design news
Master of Professional Studies in Retail Design
CCAD’s MPS in Retail Design was created to give you the knowledge and tools you need to advance your career. Key to that is our MPS in Retail Advisory Board, whose members are here to help you make valuable connections as you build and expand your professional network.
Our MPS in Retail Design Advisory Board includes leading minds in the industry, representing such organizations as Bath & Body Works, Big Red Rooster, Chute Gerdeman, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, L Brands, Landor & Fitch, Procter & Gamble, Target, and TENFOLD. Their expertise and insight were key in developing the program curriculum, and members continue to play a valuable role by serving as faculty, as members of students’ individual advisory committees, and as key components of students’ professional networks.
In other words: Our board members are here to ensure that our curriculum meets industry demands and to provide a helping hand for students ready to take their careers to the next level.