first year students

This is us

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first years

In Design, we’re a group of close-knit makers from all backgrounds. 

UI/UX designers, product designers, environment designers, graphic/communication designers, illustrators, biomedical designers, animators, fashion designers, and artists all housed under one department.

We make a lot of stuff

Students working in the 4D lab

From day one, you’re placed into a studio with around 40 other students who will grow to be your best friends, collaborators, employees, and maybe even a spouse.

You live, eat, play and work together for four years and its just about the best community you could ask for.

So what even is Design?

We decided the best way to explain what even is design (and what you can do with it) was to ask a few of our amazing alumni...

Choose your track

As the demand for design increases, so does the range of design expertise. As professionals, some designers concentrate in a single area of practice, while others choose to work across broad areas of design — having gained new expertise from practice or advanced education. The School of Design offers three pathway options to study design: Communications, Products, or Environments. These programs prepare students for entry-level professional practice opportunities in design or to study design at an advanced level.

After completing our foundation year, you will choose either the Communications, Products, or Environments track according to your goals and interests.

Undergraduate design majors at Carnegie Mellon earn a Bachelor of Design degree (BDes). This degree is equivalent in rank to a BFA, but acknowledges the growing importance of the design disciplines as separate and distinct from Fine Art.

Communications
Products
Environments

Study with the best. Work with industry.

Communications students looking at work in the Hunt Library

Our faculty members bring an array of impressive skill sets from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. They are known experts in industrial, communication, and environment design, as well as design research, fine art, philosophy, human-computer interaction, and business.

We have a solid history of successful collaboration with leading companies, nonprofits, and academic partners. Studio courses and faculty research frequently include industry and research projects. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with, and present to, professional designers, or even work as a research assistant.

Our programs are unified by a framework that responds to changes in design, while also seeking to shape the future of the discipline and advance the field as it matures. Whatever your focus, our approach prepares you for top jobs in leading companies and organizations today—while teaching you to design with future generations in mind.

Information for High School Educators

We offer information sessions for high school educators looking for more information on the career opportunities that are possible with an education in design. Please check here for info on the next session.