Start Something in the College of Design
College-by-College Pitch Off Competition
Two College of Design students earned top honors at Iowa State’s 2025 College-by-College Pitch Off Finale, a fast-paced competition where students from all majors pitch business ideas in just 90 seconds. The event celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship across campus, awarding top ideas with cash prizes and campus-wide recognition.
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Interdisciplinary Studios
Interdisciplinary studiosThe College of Design’s Design Studies 5460 studios, known as interdisciplinary studios, are offered every spring for students in their junior year and above. These studios have a long-standing tradition of innovation in the college, as they invite students from every discipline of the college to explore complex problems together.
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Workshops
The College of Design’s Dean’s Charrettes and Start Something workshops invite students to investigate global and local challenges and propose innovative solutions that draw on the perspectives of many disciplines.
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Creative Recess
Read about the Creative Recess courseCreative recess is an innovation ideas incubator led by instructors from the College of Design and across the Iowa State campus who are teaching courses linked to innovation or entrepreneurship. The courses bring together students with different majors and backgrounds to work individually or in groups on topics that interest them.
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Start Something Fellows
Read about a Start Something Fellow’s ImpactStudents can explore innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities as Start Something Fellows in the College of Design. The college’s entrepreneurial student fellows experience first hand how design and business intersect, engage, and elevate one another through a design consultancy class. Student innovation fellows provide leadership in dreaming their own (and the college’s) future.
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CYstarters and Pitch Competitions
Pappajohn Center for EntrepreneurshipCollege of Design students can apply for CYstarters, an 11-week summer accelerator for Iowa State students or recent graduates to focus on their startup or business idea. They can also participate in pitch competitions, powered by the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship.
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Student Exhibits
Student Innovation CenterCollege of Design students share their work accomplished in I+E-engaged courses in the annual IGNITE Innovation Showcase at the Student Innovation Center. Their work is also featured in the “Ecologies of Care” exhibition organized by the college’s faculty I+E Scholars.
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Core Design Program
Core Design ProgramStudents are empowered to become future social innovators with the potential to improve human existence through design. First-year students in the Core Design Program are introduced to Core + Care, where they explore the idea of care – for oneself, the individual to the group, the group to the individual, and the group to the greater community.
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Secondary Major in Interdisciplinary Design
Interdisciplinary Design Secondary MajorNo matter your major at Iowa State, you can add Interdisciplinary Design as a secondary major to develop your inventiveness, visual communication skills, and ideation mindset. The academic program focuses on creative innovation, strategic design thinking, and interdisciplinary teamwork.
Student Innovation Center
The Student Innovation Center is the hub on Iowa State’s campus where all Cyclones are invited to innovate. All students can utilize makerspaces and attend events, and the College of Design offers a number of classes and opportunities throughout the building.
Innovate at Iowa State
At Iowa State, innovation isn’t just a concept; it’s a mission. The university is actively fostering an environment where innovation thrives and is accessible to all. The Innovate at Iowa State campaign includes multiple pathways to engage with innovation.
Support our initiatives
There are two ways to contribute a gift to the college’s I+E efforts.
The first option is to mail a check with a note that specifies the designation: College of Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund. Mail to Iowa State University Foundation, 2505 University Blvd., P.O. Box 2230, Ames, IA 50010-2230.
The second option is to make a gift online. For “Selected Designation,” select “I want to support a fund not listed” and type “College of Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund” in the notes section.
A Cyclone in the Making
Find your place at Iowa State University’s College of Design, where we like to ask questions, poke and prod, create something new, and make a difference through design.