AUS design management students win global acclaim from leading professional institute

Design management students Anaam Noushad and Shania Tannith Cardoz from the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) have been globally recognized by the Design Management Institute (DMI) for their insights into the way their education has prepared them for the real world and shaped their expectations for their future careers.

Ahead of DMI’s design leadership conference last month, the two students met with board members to officially receive professional membership for their outstanding submissions in this year’s student essay competition.

DMI is the premier professional organization for this field, with more than 27,000 members from over 40 countries, bringing together a diverse representation of “innovators, educators, researchers and leaders from every design discipline, every industry and every corner of the planet to facilitate transformational organizational change and design driven innovation.”

Senior student Anaam Noushad, who has complemented her studies with a minor in illustration and animation, said her essay incorporated an “ESCAPE” plan which sets out her intentions to utilize her strength in a variety of soft skills for a successful career in design management. ESCAPE is an acronym for effective communication; solution-oriented-ness; conflict resolution; attention to detail; patience; and experimentation.

“The current job market looks into a wide variety of skills in an applicant, and design management provides that approach to creating a holistic candidate in business, design and developing the qualities of a leader. My main goal is to focus on strategic design and user experience design as a prospect,” said Noushad.

Like Noushad, Shania Cardoz was applauded by the board of DMI for her authenticity, as her essay emphasized her AUS experience as pivotal in establishing a strategic understanding of the role that design managers can play in organizational success at all levels.

“Design management is more than just design, as it incorporates several disciplines, including management, marketing, psychology, culture and innovation. To me, this is a career choice filled with diversity. Just like design management itself, I want to be unique,” she said,

The third-year student was inspired to pursue studies in design management when her sister, AUS interior design alumna Ninoshka Cardoz, started working as an art director in an advertising company.

“My sister realized her love for design management after graduation, and because of this, she made me understand how vast design management is and how fun it can be,” said Cardoz.

During their time at AUS, design management students like Cardoz and Noushad have the opportunity to build a solid foundation in design theory and application, while gaining business skills through courses offered by AUS’s School of Business Administration. Students work with real-world clients to build professional experience and establish a design portfolio before graduating, and can take on professional internships, study abroad for up to two semesters and engage in a wide range of extracurricular activities to round out their university experience.

For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Design Management at the College of Architecture, Art and Design at American University of Sharjah, visit https://www.aus.edu/caad.