Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design, BFA
Through studio projects, hands-on workshops, field research, and collaborative discussions, students in Industrial Design refine their ability to innovate and create, developing products and systems that balance functionality and creativity to improve everyday life.
The four-year undergraduate degree in industrial design equips students for creative careers by blending traditional craftsmanship with modern technologies. Students explore the lifecycle of materials and systems, focusing on sustainable design and innovative problem-solving in a collaborative studio setting that emphasizes experimentation, dialogue, and hands-on learning. By addressing real-world challenges, the program prepares graduates to create meaningful solutions that enhance lives and environments. Rooted in values like practicality and resourcefulness, this degree fosters adaptable designers ready to contribute to a rapidly evolving world of products and systems.
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Program Overview 听
The industrial design curriculum provides a transformative educational experience, equipping students to tackle complex challenges through creativity, technical expertise, and systemic thinking. Beginning with a shared foundations year, students build skills in dimensional thinking, material exploration, spatial awareness, and typography through both 3D and 2D media. Admission into the program is determined through a portfolio review.听听
After acceptance, students join a focused cohort to deepen their technical and conceptual abilities. Subsequent years emphasize interaction design, material literacy, fabrication workflows, ergonomics, and research methodologies. As the curriculum progresses, learning shifts toward synthesis, incorporating systems thinking, circular design, and interdisciplinary collaboration with fields such as engineering and agriculture. The program is guided by an ethos of unmaking and remaking cycles, lifecycle impacts, and designing for regeneration.听
In their final year, students create a capstone project that showcases mastery of technical skills, systemic and material intelligence, and a distinctive design perspective. A professional practice course complements this by preparing students for careers through portfolio development and real-world applications. Internships, industry collaborations, and interdisciplinary coursework further enrich the program, ensuring graduates are well-prepared to enter the profession.听
Portfolio Review
After completing the Foundations year, students are eligible to apply to continue in upper-division coursework towards the BFA degree in Industrial Design. The entrance process, known as Portfolio Review (INDS 200), requires students to complete a written component, submit a specified number of works from their foundational year, and participate in a brief interview. Through a structured review process, applicants are assessed by the faculty teaching within the foundations program for engagement, growth, potential, and the professionalism needed for advanced coursework in the program. Throughout the year students are supported by their individual advisor to ensure on track progression for the 2nd year whichever direction is undertaken.鈥�听
Alternative Options to Industrial Design
Traditionally, around 60-75% of the students who apply for credit in portfolio review are accepted, resulting in a dedicated and motivated cohort of industrial design students pursuing upper-division coursework. While not all students succeed, the program prepares everyone for several options after the review including:鈥�听
- Take the valuable skills learned in this first year and pursue degrees in media communications, theatre design and technology concentration, or studio art.鈥�听听
- Pursuing the Industrial Design Studies Minor. Consisting of 15 credit hours, students who have completed the foundations year have earned 9 credits and only need 6 additional credits (two classes) to achieve the minor.听
- Come back and reapply the following year.鈥�听
Creative Problem-Solving
The Human Side of Design
Place-Based Learning and Innovation
Product and Systems Design Roles
A BFA in Industrial Design equips graduates for roles such as product designers, systems thinkers, material innovators, and experience designers. They design medical devices to improve patient care, create sustainable transportation solutions, develop regenerative agricultural tools, and innovate circular systems in manufacturing. These careers focus on blending functionality, sustainability, and user-centered design to address pressing global needs.
Emerging Technologies
Industrial Design graduates lead in integrating emerging technologies such as AI, augmented reality, and interactive systems into products and workflows. They design smart tools for adaptive use, develop AI-driven consumer products, and create interactive systems that enhance user experiences. These roles allow graduates to push the boundaries of design innovation in technology-driven industries.
Here's a glimpse of some of the courses offered in your first year in the program.
DSGN 101
Design Foundation Studio I
DSGN 102
Design Foundation Studio II
Supporting the applied arts and humanities VolCore requirement
DSGN 103
Design Foundation Studio III
Supporting the applied arts and humanities VolCore requirement
DSGN 150
The Idea of Design
Supporting the applied arts and humanities VolCore requirement
INDS 200
Industrial Design Portfolio Review听