Industrial Design

Paul T. Skaggs, Chair
265 CTB, (801) 422-6300

Admission to Degree Program

Admission to the freshman level in the industrial design program is obtained through an application process. Special enrollment limitations for degree programs will be applied. Please see the School of Technology advisor (250 SNLB) for specific details.

After twelve credit hours of skill development and introductory studies, students apply for the BFA (bachelor of fine arts) candidacy and entrance to the professional program.

The Discipline

Industrial design is a blend of art and technology. It focuses on making industrially produced objects that are aesthetically appropriate and useful to specific people and markets. Industrial design requires skills in two- and three-dimensional aesthetics, drawing, and visual communications, as well as an understanding of how things are manufactured and work, and are positioned in the marketplace.

Career Opportunities

Industrial designers specialize in areas such as consumer products for the home and business, sports and medical equipment, toys, exhibits, furniture, consumer electronics, and automobiles.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the industrial design curriculum, graduates should be able to:

• Apply (and critique the application of) basic aesthetic principles
• Understand and apply basic creativity techniques within industrial design
• Understand the basics of technology
• Investigate and synthesize the requirements of multiple stakeholders and reconcile those needs to provide exciting, manufacturable design solutions for the marketplace
• Visually and verbally communicate concepts and requirements to other designers and their colleagues who work with them; to clients and employers; and to prospective clients and employers
• Apply basic business practices as they relate to industrial design
• Discuss the basics of design history and identify contemporary issues in industrial design

The industrial design program also participates in the interdisciplinary animation degree with the Visual Arts and the Theatre and Media Arts departments. For more information about this degree and its requirements, please see the Visual Arts section of this catalog.

General Information

Application Procedures for Freshmen

Students are accepted into the preprofessional program twice a year: in April for spring/summer enrollment and in August for fall/winter. Enrollment is limited and based on several qualifications:

1. Admission to the university.
2. Completion of the program application form.
3. Submission of the portfolio.
4. Completion of the creative exercise.
5. Passing the portfolio review.

Pre-Major Enrollment

Appropriate forms are contained in an application packet available from the School of Technology Advisement office (250 SNLB).

Application packets must be obtained and returned before April 1 for spring enrollment or August 11 for fall. Individuals will be notified whether or not they have been accepted by April 15 for spring/summer or August 20 for fall/winter.

Students applying for the program must be accepted to Brigham Young University before being considered for the major.

Note: Individuals receiving notice of acceptance will be permitted to register for the foundation 100-level core courses for the term or semester immediately following their acceptance. Failure to do so will require reapplication to the industrial design program for the year the student actually plans to attend.

Professional Degree Program Enrollment

Permission to enroll for sophomore- through senior-level BFA degree program courses is granted to students upon satisfactory development of skills and creative abilities, demonstrated in a review of a portfolio consisting of work completed during the preceding year. Faculty assess student GPA combined with a portfolio of work submitted by students wishing to advance. Students invited to continue are permitted to enroll in specified courses at the next academic level. Students may apply to the professional program multiple times, but may only take freshman foundation courses once.

Transfer Students

Transfer students applying for admission to the preprofessional- or professional-level BFA program must follow the same requirements as students currently enrolled in BYU.

Degree Program Advisors

Advisors are appointed to counsel students in the major. Advisors will advise students about program objectives, course content and sequence, career goals, and other matters pertaining to their major field of study.

Department Probationary Status

Students can be placed on probationary status for the following:

1. Inadequate academic performance. This can be defined by, but not limited to, receiving a D or E grade in major courses.
2. Unprofessional attitude and lack of commitment.
3. BYU Honor Code violations.