CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC DESIGN

GCCDS is proud to introduce its new one-year internship in Public Design in Biloxi, Mississippi. Interns are paid to work on community-based architecture, planning and landscape architecture projects alongside the GCCDS professional staff. In addition, interns take six courses during the intern period to learn and create tools of public practice to help communities address social, economic and environmental problems. At the completion, interns receive a Certificate in Public Design from Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art + Design.

Applicants are required to have a professional degree in architecture or in a related design, landscape or planning field. Interns are added every semester for one full year each, resulting in a rotating crew of interns working in the Design Studio while taking classes. The next internship will begin May 15, 2012, in time for the summer semester at Mississippi State University, and will last three full semesters: Summer 2012, Fall 2012, and Spring 2013. Interns work 3/4 time on GCCDS projects, receiving a salary accordingly, and they spend 1/4 of their time on their classwork. The interns are eligible to receive IDP credit.

For more information about the GCCDS and the Public Design Intern Program, please send a letter of interest introducing yourself and your background to GCCDS director David Perkes: dperkes(at)gccds.msstate.edu. The May 2012 opening will be officially posted in April, and interested applicants are invited to check back then for more details.

COURSES:

Public Design Seminar I. Public design theory: Limitations of standard practice to meet contemporary social, economic and environmental needs; values and leadership of community organizations; examples of alternative practice.

Public Design Seminar II. Understanding community: Local social and economic problems and global environmental risks; understanding minority subcultures, poverty, and the role of non-profit organizations.

Public Design Seminar III. Public design practice: Creating and using tools of public practice to help communities address social, economic and environmental problems; leadership skills, advocacy planning, sustaining a non-profit practice.

Public Practice and Projects I. Design practice: Various models of design practice presented by ten outside practitioners. Parallel studio team project.

Public Practice and Projects II. Collaborative partners: Survey of governmental and non-profit organizations that work in the community presented by ten outside practitioners. Parallel studio team project.

Public Practice and Projects III. Challenging the status-quo: Presentations by ten visionary people. Parallel studio team project.