MG University · HCD Institute · DIC, IIT Hyderabad
Universal design - Design that works for everyone.
A six-month, studio-led diploma for the people who shape how others live — architects, designers, doctors, administrators and advocates. Awarded by MG University, taught by HCD Institute, and co-delivered with DIC, IIT Hyderabad at the Inter University Centre for Disability Studies.
6 months
Awarded by MG University
Anchored at IUCDS
Begins late September 2026 · First cohort · Applications open
Express your interest
We will respond to your enquiry within 48 hours.
First cohort · Begins late October 2026 · Apply early
You will receive the full programme brief and admissions details after you enquire.
6
months · studio-led
6
modules + capstone
MG
University award
IUCDS
host centre
Oct 26
first intake
Who this programme is for
A deliberately multidisciplinary cohort.
Universal Design is practised across disciplines, so we teach it that way. The programme brings together the people who shape how others live — and, crucially, persons with disabilities themselves. Anchored at the Inter University Centre for Disability Studies and taught in HCD's studio tradition, you learn to design with disabled users rather than for them, and leave able to make real environments, products and services work for everyone.
01
Makers of the built and digital world
Architects, engineers, planners, and product, UX and communication designers who want to build accessibility in from the first sketch — not bolt it on to meet a checklist.
02
Those who care, treat and rehabilitate
Doctors, occupational and physiotherapists, rehabilitation professionals and special educators, for whom the fit between a person and their environment is daily work.
03
Those who govern, commission and advocate
Civil services officers, administrators and CSR leaders who commission and enforce accessibility at scale — and disability-rights advocates, including persons with disabilities training as professional auditors and consultants.
Programme curriculum
Six months. Six modules.
A studio-led diploma — a tight conceptual foundation up front, then most of the six months spent making and testing, culminating in a live capstone project sourced through the Centre for Disability Studies. Awarded by MG University; curriculum by HCD Institute; design-domain depth from DIC, IIT Hyderabad.
Module 1
Foundations
Disability, Rights & Inclusion
The social and rights-based model of disability, the spectrum of ability, and the Indian legal framework — UNCRPD and the RPwD Act, 2016. The conceptual ground the rest of the programme builds on.
Immersion
Shared language for a mixed cohort
Everyone arrives from a different discipline, so the module builds a common vocabulary — and a lived-experience immersion run with IUCDS — before the tracks diverge.
Module 2
Principles
Principles of Universal Design
The 7 Principles of Universal Design and their evolution toward design-for-all; accessibility versus assistive technology versus reasonable accommodation; anthropometrics and ergonomics for the full range of human diversity.
Applied
Reading the world for barriers
You begin auditing real spaces and products against the principles, building the eye that the rest of the programme sharpens.
Module 3
Studio
Human-Centred Methods for Inclusion
The HCD method core: immersion and ethnography with disabled users, co-design and participatory methods, accessibility auditing, and prototyping and testing with diverse users. This is where the studio work begins in earnest.
Milestone
Co-design with real users
Every participant runs a co-design session with disabled users, treating lived experience as expertise rather than a case study.
Module 4
Domains
Domains of Application
A common overview, then each learner goes deep in one track matched to their work: the built environment and mobility; digital and ICT accessibility (WCAG); or products, communication and services.
Track
Depth where it matters to you
The specialisation lets an architect, a UX designer and a doctor each leave with directly applicable skill, while sharing a common foundation.
Module 5
Systems
Policy, Systems & Implementation
Standards, procurement and enforcement; the Accessible India Campaign; Universal Design in governance and urban missions; the business case and advocacy. Especially valuable for administrators and civil-services participants.
Outcome
From design to adoption
You learn to move an inclusive design from a good idea into something an institution will actually adopt and maintain.
Module 6
Capstone
Capstone Studio
A live Universal Design brief sourced through IUCDS — an audited building, a public service, a digital product, or a community need. Interdisciplinary teams, a real user group, and a public exhibition and jury at the close.
Showcase
Public jury & exhibition
The cohort presents tested prototypes to an audience that includes the disability community whose needs they set out to serve.
Certification
A Diploma awarded by MG University
On successful completion of the coursework, studio work and capstone, participants receive a Diploma in Universal Design awarded by Mahatma Gandhi University — offered by HCD Institute with DIC, IIT Hyderabad.
Investment
On application
Programme fee shared with the admissions pack · concessional and scholarship seats available
Six-month diploma, awarded by MG University
Included
Studio, capstone and mentoring
Included
Seats for persons with disabilities & social sector
Scholarship-supported
Travel and personal expenses
At participant cost
Toolkit and studio materials
Provided
The programme is priced for access, not exclusivity. Full fee, instalment options and scholarship details are shared with the admissions pack — write to us and we will send them.
What you take away from the programme
01
A Diploma in Universal Design awarded by MG University — the credential that carries the academic weight.
02
A tested capstone project — a real inclusive-design solution taken from brief to prototype with a live user group.
03
A working command of the HCD method — co-design, accessibility auditing, and prototyping with disabled users.
04
Depth in your chosen domain — built environment, digital accessibility, or products and services — directly applicable to your work.
Admissions
We review every application personally. We are looking for people with a genuine reason to design for inclusion, the openness to work across disciplines, and the willingness to learn with and from disabled users. The statement of purpose is two pages.
Statement of purpose · 2 pages
One additional requirement:
tell us why now.
We admit on the basis of purpose and intent. Your statement should make clear why inclusive design matters to you — and what you intend to change with it.
I. Your background — and the accessibility problem, in your field or your life, you most want to solve.
II. Why Universal Design, and why now — what draws you to designing for the full range of human ability.
III. What you intend to do with the diploma, the method, and the capstone you produce.
1
Application form — Your name, background, current work, and a short note on why you want to join.
2
Statement of purpose · 2 pages — Reviewed by the HCD–IUCDS admissions panel.
3
30-minute admissions call — A short conversation to make sure the programme fits your goals and schedule.
4
Confirmation and welcome pack — Decision within 48 hours, with joining details, reading, and the studio calendar ahead of the late-September start.
Late October 2026 · First cohort
Applications open now · Confirmation within 48 hours
Delivered on campus at IUCDS, MG University, Kottayam
We will send the full programme brief and joining details after you enquire.
First cohort · Applications now open
Begins late October 2026. Apply early.
A multidisciplinary cohort. Six months of studio learning. A real capstone for the disability community. A Diploma in Universal Design awarded by MG University.
Questions? Write to admissions@hcd.institute · Response within 24 hours