Program Overview
Industrial Design Program
The Industrial Design undergraduate program at Ohio State University is a gateway to designing products, services, and systems that make everyday life better. This program is designed for students who are curious, motivated, and ready to grow.
Program Overview
In this program, students learn how to think like a designer, using advanced design thinking and research to solve real human problems. The program encourages collaboration with students across other design disciplines, giving students a broader perspective and a richer creative experience.
Admission
Admission to the Department of Design is competitive, and the university is looking for students who are curious, motivated, and ready to grow. First-year students begin in pre-industrial design and complete prerequisite coursework necessary to apply to the major.
Curriculum
The Bachelor of Science in Design (BSD) is a Professional Degree, with over 65% of the course credit focused on the creation and study of art and design. The lock-step curriculum takes students through a specific sequence of studio-based courses, designed to scaffold skills and increase in scale, scope, complexity, and collaboration with each semester.
Study Abroad
Design is global, and there are opportunities to take education international. This is a great opportunity to venture out of one's comfort zone, gain confidence, and develop new cultural understanding to become a global citizen.
Internship
Opportunities for hands-on learning are instrumental to discovering one's passion. Internships give students the experience they need to differentiate themselves from other candidates, support career goals, expand their skill set, and determine how their education and extracurriculars can best support their long-term goals.
Honors and Scholars
The Arts Honors Program offers highly motivated students an enriched academic experience through the integration of curricular and co-curricular programs. The Ohio State Scholars Program offers academically motivated students the chance to meet and live with other students who share similar interests.
Research
Two-thirds of design students graduate with research distinctions. The curriculum is built around the principle that design research is central to the design process and should always consider the complexities that come from making the world a better place - ecologically, economically, and socially.
Student Organizations
Student organizations popular with industrial design students include:
- Design for 90
- D3: Design Develop Deploy, An Entrepreneurial Startup Club
- Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
- NOMA: Designers for Diversity
Possible Careers
Design offers many opportunities for a fulfilling career. Students graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Design take positions in consulting, industry, nonprofits, governmental agencies, or start-ups. Many designers begin with project work and advance to research, facilitation, and leadership.
Salary Estimates
According to Coroflot's latest Design Salary Guide, the median salary for an Industrial Designer is $63,100.
Program Objectives
Students majoring in industrial design will achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Lifelong Learning: Students will gain a lifelong desire and ability to create new knowledge and foster problem-solving skills through creativity and the application of a creative process.
- Design Thinking: Students will apply design thinking and the design process in all studio projects.
- Human-Centered Design: Students will develop an understanding of a human-centered focus on design and research.
- Career Preparation: Students will prepare for a successful career in the design profession.
- Design Tools and Methods: Students will develop an understanding of and familiarity with the tools and methods of the design profession.
- Communication Skills: Students will hone the skills that are central to communicating design ideas and solutions.
- Environmental Awareness: Students will develop an understanding of and appreciation for the role of the designer in environmental relationships.
Program Details
- Degree: BSD
- Campus: Columbus
- College: Arts and Sciences
- Application Deadline: November 1 for first-year students applying to the Columbus campus.