MSU Denver's Spring 2024 Open House

Meet our IND faculty in the SSBJ building, then tour our facilities on Saturday, February 24th from 10am-12pm. Tours at 11am & 12pm.

Register

Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Department of Industrial Design is multifaceted, offering courses in textiles, bicycle design, furniture design, prototyping in metals, woods and plastics, and working with outside industry professionals. Accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design, students gain marketable skills through hands-on projects in state-of-the-art laboratories, led by professors who work in the industry. The Department of Industrial Design is part of the College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering, and Design. Contact us today to schedule a tour of our facilities and to meet with one of our faculty members. 

 

Upcoming Events & Deadlines

January 16th

Spring Semester Begins

February 26th

Summer Registration Begins

March 18th-24th

Spring Break

March 25th

Fall Registration Begins

May 4th

Spring Semester Ends (full-semster courses)

May 6th-11th

Finals Week

May 10th

Commencement

3pm MST

May 13th

Sophomore Portfolio Submissions Due

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What is Industrial Design?

Industrial Design (ID) is the professional practice of designing products, devices, objects and services used by millions of people around the world every day.

Industrial designers typically focus on the physical appearance, functionality and manufacturability of a product, though they are often involved in far more during a development cycle. All of this ultimately extends to the overall lasting value and experience a product or service provides for end-users.

Every object that you interact with on a daily basis in your home, office, school or public setting is the result of a design process. During this process, myriad decisions are made by an industrial designer (and their team) that are aimed at improving your life through well-executed design. (credit: idsa.org)

Areas of related course of study include User Experience (UX) Design, User Interaction (UI) Design, Graphic Design, Service Design, Design Research, and Design Strategy.

Common Skill Set

Drawing & Sketching
3D Modeling
3D Rendering
User Research
Visual Storytelling
Rapid Prototyping & Testing
Color, Materials & Finishes
Basic Engineering & Fabrication
Basic Computer Programming
Manufacturing Processes
Marketing & Branding

Areas of Profession

Automotive & Transportation
Consumer Electronics
Furniture
Housewares
Environments & Retail
Medical & Healthcare
Toys & Accessories
Commercial & Industrial
Personal & Lifestyle
Sports & Recreation

Occupational Outlook

Today, there are more than 33,000 working industrial designers in the United States and the median annual salary is $75,910. Michigan and California are the states with the highest concentrations of employed industrial designers per capita. (2022, Bureau of Labor Statistics)

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Industrial Design (IND) Major, B.S.

Complete course and concentration descriptions

Program Catalog

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