Iowa’s first and only industrial design program

  • 8th

    • in the nation undergraduate industrial design program for value and excellence, according to College Values Online

Industrial design results in products, systems or services that meet a specified commercial objective. The discipline requires human sensitivity, artistic sensibility, technical competence and business acumen.

Industrial designers help create the objects that people use everyday: toothbrushes, telephones, computers and cars. Whether developing simple products or complex systems, industrial designers are required to understand user needs, assess technical feasibility, and evaluate commercial viability.

Students are able to explore all levels of fidelity in model making and prototyping from traditional shaping tools like saws and sanders to more advanced visualization tools like laser cutting and rapid prototyping.

Degree programs

Iowa State’s undergraduate Bachelor of Industrial Design (BID) and Master of Industrial Design (MID) degree programs are both accredited by National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD).

Eve Magill Headshot

The industrial design program has an amazing way of bringing the students together. You get presented with so many opportunities to learn and share ideas with your classmates.

Eve Magill – Industrial Design, Class of 2025

Success in design

Students in the College of Design graduate career-ready with internships, capstone projects, professional practice, and portfolio classes integrated into each of the design programs, and with support from the Design Career Services Office. The College of Design also hosts an annual Design Career Fair that is focused only on design majors. It attracts more than 125 firms recruiting for jobs and internships, with College of Design alumni making up more than half of the recruiters in attendance.

The Department of Industrial Design provides the foundation for a career in a variety of commercial product design and service professions. Some recent graduates of Iowa State’s industrial design program have pursued careers in the following:

  • Product developer
  • Automotive designer
  • Footwear & accessory designer
  • Construction & agricultural equipment designer
  • Furniture & lighting designer
  • Interaction designer
  • Exhibit designer
  • Packaging designer
  • Advertising & experience designer
Industrial Design professor designing with industrial design undergraduates.

A Designer 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.

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