Our Curriculum

Students interested in the BDes degree declare a major in Design and then complete the Core Design Program in their first year on campus. Transfer students should plan to complete the core classes in their first semester. The BDes program is not enrollment managed and students can start in fall or spring semester. BDes courses are also taught in the summer semester for students who have finished the Core Design Program (contingent on summer enrollment numbers). Students should expect to be enrolled at Iowa State for a minimum of four semesters to complete the coursework for the BDes, regardless of the number of credits that transfer from another school.

Our curriculum is built around a set of required interdisciplinary studios, design communication classes and lectures. Courses include those developed specifically for the BDes, courses in other design departments in the College of Design, and general education requirements and electives offered across campus. In your BDes classes, you will work on assignments individually and in teams, develop a portfolio for the job market or a graduate degree, and complete an independent capstone project of your own design. BDes classes encourage you to think and engage with peers and faculty across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The BDes curriculum is easy to combine with a second major or minor in a related field of your choice, including advertising, business, engineering, environmental studies, journalism and others.

Curriculum Sheet (PDF) for Bachelor of Design
This includes number of required credits, list of courses, and suggested four-year and two-year plans with courses broken down into semesters and years. Download the BDes Curriculum Sheet