Industrial Design Online
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Program Description
The School of Industrial Design currently offers online courses toward
Master of Fine Arts (MFA),
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), and
Associate of Arts (AA) degree programs.
It is the mission of the School of Industrial Design to establish the preeminent design program in
the country. Measurement of our achievement of this mission will be reflected by the following:
placement of students in industry-leading firms; maintaining top teaching staff who are practicing
professionals; increasing student and professional instructors exposure to the design and business
community by participating in and organizing events and workshops; providing students with the
technical skill base enabling them to remain employable.
Our faculty members come from the many award-winning Bay Area design studios, which offer
internships year round. Some of the companies where our students have interned include Frog Design,
Astro Design, Pentagram, New Deal Design, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Audi of America,
Volkswagen AG, and Leap Frog.
The MFA program offers studio courses that hone the student’s mastery of industrial design
skill sets to accurately communicate ideas visually. Students will work on independent and group
projects under technical and creative guidance from faculty who are also professional designers in
the field. The program emphasizes the identification and resolution of social, economic and
technical design problems. Prior to the final year of study at their mid-point review,
students will propose a project for their thesis to a review committee. Upon the
approval of the project, students then proceed through three semesters of Directed Study with
faculty mentors and experts in industrial design or fields relevant to the student’s research.
During the course of the thesis, students will be exposed to expertise in design aesthetics,
digital technology, critical thinking, and communication. The final thesis must define a
social or cultural benefit, address economic factors to define a successful path, and incorporate
technical reference to demonstrate a viable conceptual basis for the thesis topic.
BFA candidates begin with their study acquiring fundamental skills and knowledge by taking
courses in drawing, model making, and digital media. Once students proceed to design courses,
students will be assigned to projects where they apply critical thinking in order to identify and
solve problems accordingly, fully utilizing those skills and knowledge acquired during the earlier
semesters. The program emphasizes critical thinking; the identification and resolution of
design problems and the nurturing of creativity and innovation. Students are expected to achieve
expertise in problem-solving processes, while gaining exposure to the design and business
community. Final projects include a thorough analysis of the target market, concept development and
refinement, aesthetic perspective, design finalization, and final presentation.
AA degree is equivalent to the first two years of BFA program which introduces the candidates to
the field of industrial design.
View our
Send Me More
Information page to learn more about the Academy of Art University and the School of Industrial
Design.
Concentration Offered in BFA Program
Furniture Design
Product Design
Toy Design
Transportation Design
Career Opportunities
Automotive Designers
Product Designers with corporate
Industrial Designers with consulting firms
Freelance Designers
Alias Operators
Toy Designers
Sports & Recreational Equipment Designers
Furniture Designers
Career Opportunities
Automotive Designers
Corporate Design Managers
Industrial Designers with consulting firms
Entrepreneur Design Firm Owners
Toy Designers
Sports & Recreational Equipment Designers
Furniture Designers
Firms Hiring Our Graduates
Audi
Steelcase
General Motors
Fox Racing
Nike
Pentagram
New Deal Design
Samsung
Daimler Chrysler
Williams Sonoma
Black and Decker
North Faith
Hyundai
Mazda
More Information on Programs
Check the
Online Course Schedule to see which courses are being
offered next semester. If you are interested in the online Industrial Design program or other
online programs, please contact us:
Course Hardware Requirements
While the majority of classes in any online degree we offer can be completed on either a
Macintosh or PC computer, the individual online degree description pages on this web site will
notify you if that particular degree offers any classes requiring software that is only available
on either a Macintosh or PC computer. The icons below will also be shown on the online degree pages
that offer such classes.
It is recommended that online students refer to these description pages for the degree that
they are pursuing prior to purchasing a new computer.
This icon alerts you if an online class requires software that is ONLY available for a PC
computer.
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