I am trying to find the right department...

[ilektra]

Hello there...

I have been trying to find schools that correspond to the PhD I want to get. Although some such as NCSU, Stony Brook and others have exactly what I want in their Design departments, I am sure that I can find some programs other schools which do not have flashy, straight-forward DESIGN departments... I will explain what I want to do and maybe someone can help me figure out where to apply (not the school, just the type of department that could live up to the research I am interested in):

1) Visual Communication

2) The semiotics of visual signs

3) Cognitive approaches

4) The psychology of objects and images

5) Why and how design helps sell a product FOR THE CONSUMER and not because the designer likes the way he or she designed it... :evil:

I have a BA in Graphic Design, an M.Sc. in Industrial Design and I want to do a PhD on the semiotics of objects and how people interact with visual stimuli around them.

I would think Communication Departments, but could Philosophy work too? Maybe Sociology?????? AAAARGH!!!! :x

[Emma2003]

Hey, this may be entirely too late for you, but I just found you, so sorry if this doesn't help. I think you should look at the School of the Art Institute's visual and critical studies program. Here is a direct quote fro their website about the program, and it sounds like a pretty good match to what you are talking about...

"Critical Studies is designed for students interested in the scholarly and creative investigation of the production, dissemination, and impact of visual images, objects, experiences, and practices. With the visual as a starting point, students use multiple methods of critical investigation to study the interactions between visual phenomena and their historical, disciplinary, and social contexts."

Hope that helps!

[Emma2003]

By the way, that's The School of the Art institute of Chicago. www.saic.edu

[Colin]

not sure if this fits your exact interests but your post made me think of what I read about Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture). He co-founded The Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon.

"ETC is the premier professional graduate program for interactive entertainment as it is applies across a variety of fields."

http://www.etc.cmu.edu/

it's specialized and the environment sounds great

[DrF8]

I know this is a really old thread and this may be too late for the OP, but I wanted to suggest the PhD in Design at Carnegie Mellon University for people with similar interests/background.