Don’t be fooled by the name: These days Industrial Design (ID) is about a lot more than the design of commercial products. It involves looking at innovative ways to use creative thinking and the design process itself to do things better. As an ID major, you might design a lighter bicycle, create a game to help kids learn to spell or develop an airlock for keeping moon dust from entering a lunar lander. Or you could devise a better way to purify waste water or a more cost-effective means of delivering health care.

Through hands-on studio projects, you’ll learn to work with a wide range of materials and become fluent in the use of spatial language. You’ll design objects, products, systems and experiences from start to finish – from sketches and developmental drawings, to 3D mock-ups and models, to working prototypes. Professors will guide you throughout the process, helping you to consider important technical and aesthetic issues, along with the long-term environmental and societal impact of your work.