You must complete several steps in a specific order to earn a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree. To begin, you must decide whether to complete the required lower division units at a community college or at a four-year institution. After you’ve made your decision, you’ll need to apply to the school of your choice. You’ll need to take 60 to 70 credit hours of upper division industrial design courses after you finish the lower division units. Depending on the industrial design program, you may be required to complete a capstone project in order to graduate.
Enrolling in a Bachelor of Industrial Design program at an accredited community college or four-year university is the first step. You can earn the required lower division units in general education and introduction to design at a community college for less money than you could at a four-year institution. To complete the Bachelor of Industrial Design degree, you must apply for a transfer to a four-year institution that offers an industrial design program if you enroll in a community college.
Taking courses in psychology, philosophy, math, English, history, and social science, for example, will typically make up the lower division portion of the degree. You will take courses that introduce you to the concepts and foundations of industrial design, such as art and computer-aided design, in addition to general education courses. If you’re taking these classes at a community college, a high grade point average will help you transfer to a four-year institution. Some industrial design programs have a very competitive admissions process.
Your courses will narrowly focus on design concepts once you enter the upper division of a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree program. Advanced training in industrial design will be provided, including processes and best practices for the creation or treatment of products, equipment, and workspaces. You might want to get an internship with a local design firm or a company that makes its own products and packaging in your final year of upper division coursework.
If you want to get a master’s degree in industrial design, make sure you get the best grades you can in your upper division coursework. It’s also a good idea to form relationships with your instructors so that you can expand your professional network. Even if you are not sure if you will continue your academic career, you may want to ask your professors for letters of recommendation near the end of your bachelor’s degree program.