Program Educational Goals
Engineering/Other Technical Field
- To achieve a basic knowledge of a technical field such as mechanical engineering or management
Social Sciences
- To understand the social shaping and social impact of technology
- To understand the ethical and policy dimensions of technology
- To develop social science research skills, especially as they apply to design
General design
- To understand fundamental design skills such as iteration, problem redefinition, aesthetics, design-related computer programs, representation, drawing, and creativity
- To have substantial team/collaborative experience in a studio setting
Students who get a B.S. degree in Design, Innovation, and Society have many future job prospects, including work in design firms, on product development teams, and in firms that do market and design research. Our students have won an increasing number of prizes for their work, and some have started their own companies. Some students also go on to graduate programs in industrial design, management, and other fields.
The B.S. degree in Design, Innovation, and Society involves a studio experience each semester, design-related courses in the humanities and social sciences offered by the Science and Technology Studies Department, and a four-course cluster of courses in a technical area, such as management, computer science, engineering, or graphic design. Our curriculum was first developed in 1999 with a grant from the National Science Foundation and is administered by an interdisciplinary committee led by the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (H&SS). The Department of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering, the School of Management and Technology, and the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication in H&SS also contribute to the curriculum.
Students may opt to major in Design, Innovation, and Society and pursue one or more minors. They may also pursue a dual major in four years, so that they graduate with two majors listed on their diploma. The dual major options are referred to as the "Interdisciplinary Programs in Design and Innovation" (also known as "PDI") .
A hallmark of the curriculum is that students learn to synthesize approaches from engineering, the social sciences, and the design professions. The studios create unique opportunities for students to work with faculty from diverse disciplines to understand multidisciplinary design, the product development process, industrial design and aesthetics, the nature of design in specific fields like engineering, user-centered design, the role of markets and customers, and the patent process. We also help students to understand how design and innovation can help address significant global problems, such as sustainability and poverty.
Defining Design and Innovation
We operate under the assumption that students benefit from understanding different “cultures” of design and innovation:
- A technical option (4 courses) or dual major in a field that allows students to gain technical expertise, such as in engineering design, graphic design, software design, or the management of product innovation.
- Social science, historical, and policy perspectives on design and innovation, as represented by the STS curriculum.
- A design professions field as represented by some of the studio experiences, which also integrate the design professions perspective with that of engineering, management, and/or the social sciences.
The B.S. in “Design, Innovation, and Society” is not a professional degree program in industrial design. Although there is some exposure to industrial design, we emphasize instead a multidisciplinary approach to both design and innovation. Survival in today's global economy requires that students learn a basic set of skills that allow them to adapt to new circumstances and find innovative solutions to perplexing problems. Many opportunities can also be found for products that are environmentally sustainable, culturally appropriate, and socially responsible. More details on the curriculum are available here .