Welcome to the Department of Human Centered Design!


We look forward to working together with you to change the world, in our majors:
Design + Environmental Analysis
Fashion Design & Management (This includes Fashion Design and Fashion Design Management.)
Fiber Science

Take a look at what it’s like to be a member of our community!

Curricula  

Design + Environmental Analysis 
Fashion Design
Fashion Design Management
Fiber Science

Suggested Schedules

Design + Environmental Analysis
Fashion Design
Fashion Design Management
Fiber Science    

Course Enrollment     

Course enroll begins :
July 21- 24, 2025

We will directly enroll you in some courses for your major.  Please do not drop these courses as you try to schedule other courses since you could find yourself without a critical introductory course. 

Orientation 

Our orientation is Friday, August 22.  The orientation sessions for your majors are:

  • Fashion Design & Management and Fiber Science Majors Meeting, 10am – 12:00 pm, MVR 1102
  • DEA Majors Meeting: 10am – 12:00 pm MVR 4301

You will meet your Fashion Design & Management and Fiber Science and DEA advisors at the Orientation session.  We look forward to meeting you there. 

* Learn more about College of Human Ecology orientation here

Computer Requirements

Effective: 2025/2026 Academic Year

It is strongly recommended that each HCD student own the appropriate laptop computer and necessary accessories for coursework, which may range from heavy graphics tasks to writing papers and emails. These requirements ensure students can fully participate in all course activities and complete assignments effectively.

Required Accessories (all students)

  • USB thumb drive (64 GB minimum)
  • External mouse (wired or wireless)
  • Recommended: External hard drive for backup (1TB minimum)
  • Recommended: Protective laptop case or sleeve

For D+EA (Design + Environmental Analysis) students

Minimum Specifications
  • Processor: Intel i7 (13th gen or newer) or Intel i9 or equivalent processor
  • Memory: 32 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 equivalent or better (or RTX A-series if you prefer Quadro drivers)
  • Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD
  • Operating System: Windows 11
  • 3-year warranty recommended
  • Theft and damage insurance recommended
Warning

DEA students are advised against Mac computers. Revit, certain Rhino plugins, and most real-time 3D visualization tools used in DEA courses do not run natively on Mac and work only in Windows. While Windows can be virtualized on Mac computers, this is strongly advised against due to severe limitations in performance and compatibility.

Recommended Brands & Models
  • Dell Alienware
  • Razer
  • ASUS
  • Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

For FSAD (Fiber Science & Apparel Design) students

Minimum Specifications
  • Any recent laptop with Windows 11 or Mac OS 15 should be adequate.
  • Chromebooks, Netbooks, and other mobile PCs are not sufficient for coursework requirements.

Questions      

if you have questions contact :
Darin Gillenwater, our Undergraduate Coordinator
djg326@cornell.edu or 607.255.3196

We can’t wait to meet you !

Keith Green :  DEA                 
Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies
dea-dus@cornell.edu                

Fran Kozen :  FSAD
Director of Undergraduate Studies
fsad-dus@cornell.edu