Explore Undergraduate Majors
Explore our undergraduate major options.
The College of Design offers undergraduate majors in architecture, media arts, design and technology, design studies, graphic & experience design, and industrial design.
| Architecture | Media Arts, Design and Technology | Design Studies | Graphic & Experience Design | Industrial Design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Be a strong, positive force in the creation of healthy and sustainable buildings and communities. | Be a creative practitioner or image-maker who brings form to emotions and ideas through the exploration of medium, composition, and storytelling. | Investigate the formative role of design in shaping human values and experiences by critically evaluating design through research, writing, and exhibition. | Give shape to messages and information in the form of designed artifacts and facilitate people’s interaction with messages and information in the form of physical and digital interfaces. | Study human physical and cognitive interaction with artifacts and services in order to discover user experience insights and then create innovative solutions to design problems. |
I am interested in:Designing buildings; making things; digital technology; drawing; building models; geometry; working with materials | I am interested in:Drawing; illustration; fibers and soft materials construction; digital image making; pattern generation; photography; moving image; visual storytelling; storyboarding; animation; virtual, augmented, and mixed reality; interactive media art; creative coding; game design; interaction design; installation design; interactive and emerging imaging technologies | I am interested in:Design research; usability research; writing about design; examining design artifacts and material culture; analyzing the impact of design on human behavior, culture, and the environment; understanding the theories that drive design; using design thinking to innovate in fields outside of design | I am interested in:Branding; data visualization; design research; exhibition design; identity design; information design; interface and interaction design; online and mobile design; publication design; service design; typography; user experience design (ux); virtual and augmented reality (vr and ar) | I am interested in:Industrial design; product design; human centered design; furniture design; toy design; transportation design; soft goods design (apparel, shoes, bags, etc.); exhibit design; entertainment design; user experience design; medical product design; service design |
What skills will I learn?Architectural design; digital and analog drawing and model making; history and theory; architectural and building technology: structures, construction systems, and environmental control systems; site planning; project leadership | What skills will I learn?Make creative artifacts; visual storytelling; ideation; experimentation; invent future creative processes and career paths; challenge limits; optimize creative techniques | What skills will I learn?Research methods; writing; presenting complex ideas; visualizing research; usability research | What skills will I learn?Brand strategy and design; communication through form and experience; design thinking; human-centered research methods; ideation methods; interaction design methods; planning and organizing of a service; problem-solving and problem-finding; translation of data into form; visualization strategies | What skills will I learn?Ideation sketching; form giving; empathetic user study; market research; product material selection; production methods; computer-aided design (modeling, rendering, animation, testing); human factors in design; user-centered research methods; rapid prototyping (including 3D printing) |
What kind of degree will I get?Bachelor of Environmental Design (4-year degree); Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch – 5th Year degree, professional degree) | What kind of degree will I get?Bachelor of Art + Design (4-year degree) | What kind of degree will I get?Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies (4 years) | What kind of degree will I get?Bachelor of Graphic & Experience Design (4 years) | What kind of degree will I get?Bachelor of Industrial Design (4 years) |
Examples of career opportunities:Architect; construction; property development; other design professions; city planning; property & building management | Examples of career opportunities:Game modeler; animator; 3d artist; concept artist; costume designer; set designer; film production designer; lead digital artist; technical designer; product innovator; design consultant; advertising and media; art director; media strategist; ui/ux designer; motion graphics designer; web and social media creative lead; app designer; exhibition designer; arts organization leader; public art muralist; exhibition fabricator | Examples of career opportunities:Arts education + development; museum education and programs; user experience researcher; information architect; design researcher/strategist; historic preservation; critical writing and analysis for publishing; development officer | Examples of career opportunities:Our alums practice as graphic designers, creative directors and UX designers at organizations such as: Adobem; Airbnb; Amazon; Apple; Atlantic BT; Black Entertainment Television (BET); Burton Snowboards; Chronicle Books; Citrix; HBO; IBM / Lenovo; IBM Design; IDEO; Inkling; Microsoft; Museums of Modern Art; NBC Universal; Nielson Norman Group; Nike; Pinterest; Proctor and Gamble; RedHat; SAS Institute; The Department of the 4th Dimension; 2×4; R/GA; Second Story; NC Museum of Art; New Kind; New Museum; M Creative; Republic Wireless; Shapiro/Walker; Ticketmaster Mobile Studio; Viget; Walker Art Center; Whitney Museum; Wieden+Kennedy; WGBH Public Television; Yahoo | Examples of career opportunities:Industrial designer; product designer; human centered designer; furniture designer; toy designer; transportation designer; apparel designer; shoe designer; exhibit designer; entertainment designer; user experience designer |
| Architecture Program | Media Arts, Design and Technology Program | Design Studies Program | Graphic & Experience Design Program | Industrial Design Program |
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