• The Department of Industrial Design is one of the top professional programs in this discipline in the country. The program offers bachelor's and master's degrees accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Department of Industrial Design faculty has joined NC State University from prestigious institutions around the world, each bringing years of experience in design, research, innovation, and education. The graduates from the department are enhancing people’s quality of life with the creative design of products, services, branding, and communication systems for companies such as IDEO, Nike, Pentagram, Volvo, IBM, Toshiba, Dell, PepsiCo, RKS Design, Microsoft, Smithsonian, Adidas, Hasbro, Target, and Bosch.
  • Industrial designers are concerned with the human experiences of products or services and their impact on business, society, and the environment. Working on consumer and industrial products/services, industrial designers define the total user experience from human factors, ergonomics, safety, aesthetics, materials, maintenance, to packaging and their production process, sustainability, marketability, and cost. Thus, industrial designers must be involved in four major design and research activities: human behavior and experience, the human-product interaction, the environment, and the product itself. Industries that NC State’s industrial design graduates enter include consumer electronic/communication products, furniture, housewares, appliances, transportation, tools, industrial equipment, medical instruments/ devices, human interface, system/service design, retail environment design, packing design, exhibit design, soft goods, entertainment, and recreational/sports products.