about sjsu industrial design

The internationally-recognized and award–winning Industrial Design Program at SJSU provides an education infused with the ideas, methods and expertise of the leading–edge design industry in Silicon Valley. Our curriculum is supported by a rigorous university–level general education, and it meets the demands of national and international expectations in the field. The diversity of our students makes us a unique program that represents the future of the field.

The program, established over thirty years ago, is open to all interested students and enrolls a wide variety of entrants, from recent high school graduates to junior college transfer students. The curriculum provides our students with a balance of theory, skill, and practice. Regular Portfolio Reviews guide our students through each stage of their education and ensure that they emerge ready to be leaders in the field.

We have both full–time and part–time faculty, so the program is well structured with continuity of learning from year–to–year, and has injections of specialist, up–to–the minute knowledge. Taking advantage of the program’s University setting, Industrial Design courses often collaborate with SJSU’s Anthropology, Business, and Engineering programs, and with foreign universities. Our students participate in a strong international exchange program with partners in Europe and Central America.

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What can students expect?

Our students receive a solid education in visual communication using sketching and digital techniques. They also learn strategic thinking, design history and theory, user–centered design, sustainability, model–making, materials and manufacturing, and innovation in technology. Understanding of professional practice is achieved through a required internship. Upon graduation, students are prepared for a lifetime of practicing design, or continuing their education in a Master’s program.

Over the last three decades SJSU graduates have contributed to the development of the Bay Area as a major international center of Industrial Design, influencing trends and the daily lives of millions. Our graduates work at corporations and consulting firms regionally and nationally, and many have gone on to start successful businesses of their own.

The program has achieved a strong reputation through national and international design competition awards such as the IDSA IDEA, Red Dot, Braun, BDI, and the International Housewares Competition.