Graduate program

Industrial design is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value, and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer. The industrial designer's work touches all of our lives in the form of home products and furnishings, communication devices, healthcare equipment, rehabilitation technologies, and a myriad of other consumer and industrial products and services. While giving form to the efforts of industry, the designer is at the same time a consumer advocate, providing the humanizing link between technology and people. As such, the industrial designer's central responsibilities include fitting the artifact, system, or service to the person through considering appropriate aesthetics and ergonomics, technical processes, requirements for manufacture, marketing opportunities, and economic constraints.

At the graduate-level, Georgia Tech’s Master’s of Industrial Design (MID) focuses on an inclusive design approach that is dedicated to the creation and development of products, systems, services and environments that are usable by all segments of the population. With the growing diversity of the population, inclusive design is becoming increasingly important to designers of tomorrow to ensure that design is responsive to the individual and collective needs of all people.

Capitalizing on Georgia Tech’s rich traditions in technology and research, the MID program stresses a user-centered design process and evidence-based design practice that offers students unique opportunities to explore the design of new and existing technologies. Faculty members, who are practicing designers and experts in their fields, maintain active research programs in tangible products within communication technologies, enabling environments, supportive product systems, rehabilitation technologies, and healthcare systems technologies.

The Georgia Tech program offers a well-rounded course of study with early emphasis on exercising design principles and developing project-based design skills. Design projects stress realistic design situations, where students can have the opportunity to be involved in sponsored and/or funded projects. Within this model, the program encourages students to expand individual disciplinary talents and respond to changing opportunities in the field.

All work executed in the College becomes the property of the College and will be retained or returned at the discretion of the faculty. The faculty also reserves the right to refuse credit for any project executed outside the precincts of the College or otherwise executed without proper coordination with the instructor.