Our students study human-centered design – a focus that crosses all design disciplines by placing human experience and engagement at the center of problem solving.

We blend studio-based training with scholarly research to inform the creative process, placing individual needs in the context of broader social, technical, and global influences.

Our multidisciplinary approach combines design, art, biology, chemistry, engineering and social science concepts and methods. The department faculty seek to educate students about these topics with the long-term goal of affecting change in design, materials, people's health and well being, manufacturing, economic vitality and the environment.