Industrial Design (ID) aims to understand and help create the physical objects we see, interact with and use in everyday life. From consumer electronics and housewares to sporting goods and medical devices; industrial designers balance the aesthetics with the overall user experience of physical products.
The Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design at the University of Washington is an intensive, cohort-based program. Around 20 students are accepted each year. UW ID students regularly win national and international design awards/scholarships and are featured in significant publications.
Industrial Design students participate in imagining and creating physical products intersecting with environments, systems, and services. In gradually increasing levels of scale and complexity, skills can be applied to a range of industries including consumer electronics, medical and healthcare, and aerospace and transportation. The program emphasizes the development of forms derived from patterns of use, requirements for function, and constraints imposed by industrial manufacturing.
Admissions
Admissions to the Industrial Design program is competitive and is based on completion of prerequisite courses, GPA, and/or successful completion of the application process.
Degree Requirements
Students majoring in Industrial Design graduate with a Bachelor of Design (BDes). To graduate with an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, students must complete at least 180 course credits: a combination of UW general education requirements, major requirements, and electives.
Major Credit Requirements
Industrial Design majors must satisfactorily complete 92-96 credits of required DESIGN courses and 10 credits in Art History with a cumulative GPA of 2.0.
Courses in the design curriculum are sequenced. Students must complete all required design courses offered each quarter since these courses are the prerequisites for courses offered in subsequent quarters. The minimum acceptable grade for all Design courses is 2.0.
Year One
DES 166: Design Foundations (5 cr)
Year Two
DES 206: Design Methods (5 cr)
DES 207: Design Drawing (5 cr)
DES 208: Design History (5 cr)
DES 209: Introduction to Typography (5 cr)
DES 211: Intro to Industrial Design (5 cr)
DES 213: Prototyping for Designers (5 cr)
DES 319: Advanced Drawing for Industrial Design (5 cr)
Year Three
DES 316: Intermediate ID Studio I (5 cr)
DES 317: Intermediate ID Studio II (5 cr)
DES 318: Intermediate ID Studio III (5 cr)
DES 320: Advanced ID Visualizations (5 cr)
DES 322: Presentation for ID (Rhino) (5 cr)
DES 324: Materials + Manufacturing (3 cr)
DES 326: Digital Fabrication (5 cr)
Year Four
DES 445: Advanced ID I (5 cr)
DES 446: Advanced ID II (5 cr)
DES 485: Design Capstone (5 cr)
DES 486: Design Exhibition (1–3 cr)
300/400-level Design elective (3–5 cr)
+ Art History Courses (10 cr)
Satisfactory Progress Requirements: Certain academic and studio performance levels are required to continue in good standing in the design majors. Review BDes Progress Requirements.