A view from the underside of a lamp, designed and fabricated by an industrial design student.

About the School

About the School

The School of Industrial Design takes full advantage of the fact that Georgia Tech is a top-tier research institute. We teach our students to use the technologies and engineering expertise surrounding them to design products with the end-user in mind.

Georgia Tech Industrial Design students discussing their project together at Launchpad showcase.

What Is Industrial Design?

What Is Industrial Design?

Post-industrial revolution, industrial designers have historically designed the objects that people use in everyday life. From toothbrushes, chairs, and cars, to lamps and hand tools, industrial designers have made a worldwide impact across industries with their mainstay designs. In the age of technology, industrial designers have played a key role in creating technologies that enhance our worldview and experience.

As large and small companies increasingly continue to value designers, industrial designers have expanded their expertise beyond products. The modern industrial designer understands the users of their creations. They strive to quantify the user's experience beyond tangibility, a trend that has spread industrial designers across all industries. As technology advances, industrial designers will be key contributors to the successes of wearable electronics, smart products, medical equipment, sustainable systems, and universal assistive products and technology.

Student experimenting with a VR set in front of a screen monitor.

Industrial Design at Georgia Tech

Industrial Design at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech industrial designers are uniquely equipped to lead in technical environments regarding topics such as parametric modeling, rapid prototyping, interactive environments, wearable technology, universal design, and assistive technology. We take a fundamentally different approach from industrial design programs rooted in the fine arts.

Our students learn design techniques, such as graphic communications, sketching, and modeling, which allow them to draw inspiration from the world. As a result, they're able to design visual outputs that play a critical part in research and user testing. 

We specialize in design research. We are a research-promoting unit of Georgia Tech: Our undergraduate and graduate programs consistently practice research and advancement within shifting topics and industries. We find that such research practice and technological resources allow our students to be highly competitive upon graduation, with a high percentage of students and alumni practicing design and innovation across "new economy" industries.

Not only do our students solve design problems based on user-centered research, but our design philosophy influences research and innovation throughout Georgia Tech.

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and the Master of Industrial Design degrees are accredited by the National Association of Schools in Art and Design (NASAD) and are recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America. NASAD is the national accrediting agency for art and design related disciplines. Our NASAD recognition/accreditation has been continuous since 2004.

Georgia Institute of Technology is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

As of March 1st, 2023, the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and the Master of Industrial Design degrees at Georgia Tech are recognized Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degrees - CIP code 11.0105: Human-Centered Technology Design.

Explore the School

Hin Bredendeik's class in the 1950s.

Our History

The School of Industrial Design's history reaches from Atlanta to Bauhaus.
Students hold 3D-printed parts to a bicycle prototype.

Support the School

Join us in creating a lasting legacy for the School and in the lives of students by sponsoring their work.
Industrial Design students at FASET orientation going on a campus tour

Contact Us

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