Industrial Design Bachelor of Science
Leading to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Design
Professional industrial designers (product designers) work at the intersection of art, business, and technology to provide innovative vision for companies, services, and individuals. Using research and experience as catalysts, designers translate our psychological, social desires and aspirations into improved products and systems for better enjoyment of our world.
As a graduate, you will have opportunities to create products for all levels of production. Areas of possibility include consumer electronics, education, toys, sports, medical equipment, footwear, housewares, furniture, and exhibit design. Many graduates begin their careers immediately, designing either as a consultant, or as an in-house designer for some of the nation’s leading brands. As they continue to grow professionally, graduates often end up in leadership roles within their respective companies, making top-level decisions as a design director or creative manager.
Much of your educational experience will consist of experiential project-based studios, as well as courses in drawing, model making, manufacturing technologies (such as computer-aided design and rapid prototyping), user research, and design history. Classroom and studio experiences are complemented by two required cooperative work experiences. The co-op experience reinforces curricular goals and accelerates an understanding of professional practice.
Wentworth’s Industrial Design program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design. It is a four-year program, fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). NASAD provides published guidelines for evaluating Art and Design programs throughout the country. The NASAD handbook describes the goal of Industrial Design education and the essential competencies students must achieve to be prepared for an entry level design position. The NASAD Handbook describes the following:
Industrial Design
Industrial designers create and develop concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value, and aesthetics of products, environments, systems, and services for the benefit of user, industry, and society. Industrial design involves combinations of the visual arts disciplines, sciences, and technology, and requires problem-solving and communication skills.
The professional undergraduate degree in a design specialization is structured to provide in-depth, formal education that will prepare students for entry into professional practice upon graduation. This is the case whether the degree rubric is Bachelor of Fine Arts with a design specialization or another appropriate title.
Program Educational Objectives
Graduates of the Industrial Design program will be:
- Prepared to assume entry-level positions and transition successfully into the design industry.
- Equipped with the knowledge and confidence to pursue advanced degrees.
- Ready to contribute to the broader design field, through entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, and membership in professional organizations.
Student Outcomes
- Context
Students will be able to design products, systems, and services that respond to greater contextual issues, including environmental and societal issues. - History/Theory
Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the history of industrial design, including the impact of key works and ideas on design over time and across cultures. - Tools/Tech Communication
Students will be able to communicate complex design ideas at various stages of the creative process through the effective utilization of various tools, techniques, and media. - Research/Human Centered Design
Students will be able to use an iterative design process to incorporate research, human factors, and testing into successful design solutions.
- Problem Solving
Students will be able to synthesize design thinking and problem-solving skills to reconcile the ethical, legal, technical, entrepreneurial, and social issues of business that are often associated with practice. - Teamwork
Students will be able to demonstrate collaboration skills with a variety of stakeholders.
Study Abroad
The School of Architecture and Design has a long tradition of offering semester-long study-abroad programs for undergraduates in international locations. The programs are led by Wentworth faculty members in collaboration with scholars residing in those cities. During their time abroad, students enrich their cultural and professional perspectives through study-travel and working closely with local design professionals. Study-abroad curriculum is aligned with required courses in Boston, allowing normal progress toward graduation.
Cooperative Work Experience
The undergraduate Industrial Design program has a substantial and well-established cooperative education component embedded in the curriculum. BS in Industrial Design students spend two semesters working in a professional setting. The program collaborates with the Institute’s Center for Cooperative Education and Career Development to reinforce the learning content of these experiences. Prior to their first cooperative education semester, students take COOP2500 INTRODUCTION TO COOPERATIVE EDUCATION, which prepares students for their co-op search and for on-the-job success.
Total credits for degree: 133
This is a four-year full-time program, which begins in the fall semester of the student’s first year and is planned to end after the summer semester of the student’s fourth year.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| DSGN1000 | VISUALIZATION I/DRAWING I | 3 |
| DSGN1100 | DESIGN MAGIC | 2 |
| FYS1000 | FIRST YEAR SEMINAR | 1 |
| INDS1000 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 1 | 4 |
| English Sequence | 4 | |
| MATH1020 | PLANE & SOLID GEOMETRY | 4 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| INDS1500 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 2 | 4 |
| INDS1850 | VISUALIZATION 2: ADVANCED PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| English Sequence | 4 | |
| PHYS1010 | CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS | 4 |
| INDS1650 | COMMUNICATION AND COLOR | 4 |
| Credits | 19 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| INDS2000 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 3 | 4 |
| INDS2300 | 3D REALIZATION I | 4 |
| INDS2350 | VISUALIZATION 3: DRAW & THINK | 3 |
| INDS2600 | CAD 1: SURFACE MODELING | 3 |
| HSS Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| INDS2500 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 4 | 4 |
| INDS2850 | VISUALIZATION 4: PRESENTATION & ILLUSTRATION | 3 |
| INDS2800 | 3D REALIZATION 2 | 4 |
| INDS3100 | CAD 2: SOLID MODELING | 3 |
| HSS Elective | 4 | |
| COOP2500 | INTRODUCTION TO COOPERATIVE EDUCATION | 0 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| Co-op Semester C | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| INDS3000 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 5 | 4 |
| INDS3200 | HUMAN FACTORS IN DESIGN | 3 |
| INDS3300 | INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE 1 | 3 |
| General Education Elective | 4 | |
| INDS4011 | DESIGN PERSPECTIVES: TOPICS IN HISTORY | 4 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Co-op Semester C | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| INDS3500 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 6 | 4 |
| INDS3600 | MANUFACTURING IN DESIGN | 3 |
| HSS Elective | 4 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Co-op Semester C | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| INDS4000 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDIO 7 | 4 |
| INDS4300 | INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE 2 | 3 |
| HSS Elective | 4 | |
| INDS5000 | RESEARCH: SENIOR STUDIES | 3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| INDS4500 | BUSINESS IN DESIGN | 3 |
| INDS4750 | SENIOR SEMINAR | 3 |
| INDS5500 | SENIOR STUDIES | 4 |
| HSS Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 133 | |
ENGL/HSS Note
Students in the Industrial Design major are required to complete a minimum of 32 credit hours in English, humanities, and social sciences, including:
- Two or three semesters of English, according to placement;
- At least one elective in Design History;
- At least one elective in Art History;
- At least one elective in Psychology or Sociology.
The remaining credit hours may be satisfied with electives in any of these Humanities and Social Science fields: COMM, CSAS, ECON, ENVM, HSSI, HIST, HUMN, LITR, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, SOCL.
Studio Grade Requirement
The School of Architecture and Design has a studio grade requirement that applies to all undergraduate design studio courses from the sophomore year onward. Students in the Bachelor of Science programs are responsible for demonstrating improvement and growth each semester and are held to the following standard in their design studios:
A final grade below C is considered a sub-standard grade, indicating that the student is not meeting expectations. Students who earn a final grade of C-, D+, or D for two consecutive semesters are not permitted to continue in the studio sequence until they successfully repeat the second studio for which they received a sub-standard grade.
CA minimum of two required co-op education courses (COOP3500 and COOP4500) must be completed. COOP5000 can also be taken as an additional optional co-op experience.