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Top 10 Universities for Industrial Design in 2027

By Kory White · Updated Nov 2026 · 5 min read
Iowa State University
Direct answer

Iowa State University leads our list: it reported 68 industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2023, the most among the NASAD-listed universities we checked. Rochester Institute of Technology follows with 59 and Auburn with 44. Counts come from federal IPEDS data, and program facts come from each school’s own pages.

At a glance

#PickIndustrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023Best for
1Iowa State University68Students who want a professional Bachelor of Industrial Design from the largest program on our list
2Rochester Institute of Technology59Students who want a BFA with a Fab Lab and a published first-year salary figure
3Auburn University44Students who want a long-running program with a dedicated building and shop
4Appalachian State University37Students who want a BS in product design with an accelerated master’s option
5San Francisco State University33Students who want a Bay Area BS with a senior design project
6California State University, Long Beach29Students who want the most fully described studio and shop list on our page set
7University of Wisconsin-Stout24Students who want a BFA with internships and an industry-sponsored competition
8Metropolitan State University of Denver22Students who want an internship built into the degree in downtown Denver
9Ohio State University19Students who want a professional design degree with a shared design foundation year
10University of Houston18Students who want a four-year BSID inside an architecture and design college

Pick by what you want

Largest program
Iowa State University
Best for a Fab Lab and published salary
Rochester Institute of Technology
Best published studio and shop list
California State University, Long Beach
Best for a dedicated design hall
Auburn University

The ranking

1

Iowa State University

Iowa State University
Photo: Dirk DBQ / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe most industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded of any NASAD-listed university we checked.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 68Degree: Bachelor of Industrial Design, described by the College of Design as the only industrial design program in IowaEntry route: Students complete the College of Design Core Design Program before the major

Iowa State reported 68 industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2023. Its College of Design offers a Bachelor of Industrial Design and describes it as the only industrial design program in Iowa. Students complete the Core Design Program first.

Go ifStudents who want a professional Bachelor of Industrial Design from the largest program on our list
Skip ifYou want a program that states its length and studio facilities on the page we read
Why #1 over #2: Its 68 degrees are above Rochester Institute of Technology’s 59.
2

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester Institute of Technology
Photo: Stilfehler / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA four-year BFA with a Fab Lab and a published salary figure.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 59Degree: Industrial Design BFA in the School of Design; RIT says a BFA takes four yearsFab Lab: Equipped with 12 3D printers, plus laser cutters, CNC routing devices and other technologyReported outcome: $59.5K median first-year salary for graduates of this degree

RIT reported 59 degrees in 2023. The Industrial Design BFA sits in the School of Design, and RIT says a BFA takes four years. Its Fab Lab has 12 3D printers plus laser cutters and CNC routing devices, and RIT lists a $59.5K median first-year salary for graduates.

Go ifStudents who want a BFA with a Fab Lab and a published first-year salary figure
Skip ifYou need an accreditation statement on the program page, which RIT’s page leaves empty
Why #2 over #3: Its 59 degrees are above Auburn’s 44.
3

Auburn University

Auburn University
Photo: Robert S. Donovan / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA dedicated hall with a shop and the longest accreditation record on the list.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 44Degree: Bachelor of Industrial Design in the School of Industrial and Graphic Design; the program began in 1945 in the Department of ArtFacility: Wallace Hall is a 53,000 square foot facility built in 1983, with 9,000 square feet of indoor shop spaceAccreditation: The program became the first to be accredited by NASAD in the Southern United States in 1993

Auburn reported 44 degrees in 2023. Its Bachelor of Industrial Design is taught in Wallace Hall, a 53,000 square foot building with 9,000 square feet of indoor shop space. Auburn says the program was the first accredited by NASAD in the Southern United States, in 1993.

Go ifStudents who want a long-running program with a dedicated building and shop
Skip ifYou want a program in a large city, since Auburn’s page describes its own campus hall
Why #3 over #4: Its 44 degrees are above Appalachian State’s 37.
4

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University
Photo: Clayhefner / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA product design BS with a one-year master’s path.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 37Degree: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, Product Design concentrationCourses: Examples include Human Factors in Design, Materials and Processes, and Model MakingAccelerated path: Students can start graduate work as undergraduates and earn a master’s in as little as one year

Appalachian State reported 37 degrees in 2023 for its Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, Product Design concentration. Courses include Human Factors in Design, Materials and Processes, and Model Making, and students can earn a master’s in as little as one year.

Go ifStudents who want a BS in product design with an accelerated master’s option
Skip ifYou want the page to state studio facilities or program length
Why #4 over #5: Its 37 degrees are above San Francisco State’s 33.
5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University
Photo: Mariwlqs / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 59-unit BS built around process, people and product.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 33Degree: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, a 59-unit programFocus: Concentrates on three principal aspects of design: process, people and productCapstone: Senior Design Project (DES 505) and Professional Practices for Design (DES 570)

San Francisco State reported 33 degrees in 2023. Its 59-unit Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design centers on process, people and product, and ends with a Senior Design Project and a Professional Practices course.

Go ifStudents who want a Bay Area BS with a senior design project
Skip ifYou want detailed facility specifications, which the page does not list
Why #5 over #6: Its 33 degrees are above Long Beach’s 29.
6

California State University, Long Beach

California State University, Long Beach
Photo: Summum / CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe clearest published studio and shop list of the ten.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 29Degree: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, 120 semester unitsFacilities: Semi-private studio workspaces open 24 hours a day after portfolio review, two computer labs, a metal/plastic and wood shop, a rapid prototyping machine and a CNC machineIndustry partners: Past partners include Oakley, Xerox, Apple, Nike and Toyota

Cal State Long Beach reported 29 degrees in 2023. The 120-unit BS offers 24-hour studio workspaces after portfolio review, two computer labs, a metal/plastic and wood shop, a rapid prototyping machine and a CNC machine. Past partners include Oakley, Xerox, Apple, Nike and Toyota.

Go ifStudents who want the most fully described studio and shop list on our page set
Skip ifYou do not want a competitive portfolio review before upper-division studios
Why #6 over #7: Its 29 degrees are above Stout’s 24.
7

University of Wisconsin-Stout

University of Wisconsin-Stout
Photo: Ben Franske / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA BFA with a stated six-month placement window.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 24Degree: B.F.A. Industrial & Product DesignPlacement: Stout states 100% of graduates are employed or continuing education within 6 monthsIndustry link: A decade-long furniture design competition with Room & Board

UW-Stout reported 24 degrees in 2023 for its B.F.A. in Industrial & Product Design. Stout states that 100% of graduates are employed or continuing education within 6 months, and students work on a decade-long furniture design competition with Room & Board.

Go ifStudents who want a BFA with internships and an industry-sponsored competition
Skip ifYou need an independently audited placement figure, because 100% is Stout’s own claim
Why #7 over #8: Its 24 degrees are above Metropolitan State University of Denver’s 22.
8

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Metropolitan State University of Denver
Photo: Xnatedawgx / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA NASAD-accredited BS that ends in a professional internship.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 22Degree: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and DesignSenior experience: A professional internship is the senior experienceReview: A required second-year progress evaluation at the end of sophomore year before upper-division studio courses

MSU Denver reported 22 degrees in 2023. Its Industrial Design BS is accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design, requires a sophomore-year progress evaluation, and ends with a professional internship as the senior experience.

Go ifStudents who want an internship built into the degree in downtown Denver
Skip ifYou want the page to describe its labs, which it only names
Why #8 over #9: Its 22 degrees are above Ohio State’s 19.
9

Ohio State University

Ohio State University
Answrs VerdictA professional BSD with a shared foundation year.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 19Degree: Bachelor of Science in Design (BSD), a professional degree run by the Department of DesignStructure: A shared first year in Design Foundations, then a lock-step curriculum of studio-based courses

Ohio State reported 19 degrees in 2023. The Department of Design runs a Bachelor of Science in Design, a professional degree that starts with a shared Design Foundations year and moves into a lock-step curriculum of studio courses.

Go ifStudents who want a professional design degree with a shared design foundation year
Skip ifYou want a degree titled Industrial Design, since Ohio State’s page titles it a BSD
Why #9 over #10: Its 19 degrees are above Houston’s 18.
10

University of Houston

University of Houston
Photo: RJN2 / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA four-year BSID with a stated 132-hour minimum.
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023: 18Degree: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, a four-year curriculum of a minimum 132 semester hoursCollege: Taught in the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design

Houston reported 18 degrees in 2023. Its Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design is a four-year curriculum of a minimum 132 semester hours, taught in the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design.

Go ifStudents who want a four-year BSID inside an architecture and design college
Skip ifYou want the page to state facilities or accreditation, which it does not

How we ranked these

We ranked universities by the number of industrial design bachelor’s degrees each reported awarding in 2023, using federal IPEDS completions data for the CIP code 50.0404, Industrial and Product Design, first major only. We kept only universities that appear in the NASAD accredited-institutions directory and whose own program pages name an industrial design bachelor’s degree. We left out stand-alone art colleges, institutions the directory marks SPPA because we could not confirm what that mark covers, Utah because its major is called Multidisciplinary Design, and Clemson because we found no industrial design degree on its program pages. Degrees awarded measure size, not quality, and 2023 is the latest year available in the data we used. Program facts come from each school’s own pages and were read in November 2026. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.

Questions people ask

Which university awards the most industrial design bachelor’s degrees?

Among the universities we checked, Iowa State reported 68 in 2023, ahead of Rochester Institute of Technology at 59 and Auburn at 44. Counts come from federal IPEDS completions data.

Is a bigger program a better program?

Not necessarily. Degrees awarded show how many students a program graduates, not how good its teaching or jobs are. We rank on that count because every school reports it the same way, and we describe each program’s own facts beside it.

Does the program need to be NASAD accredited?

We limited the list to universities that appear in the National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredited-institutions directory. Auburn and Metropolitan State University of Denver also state their own program accreditation on their pages.

What counts as industrial design in the data?

The federal CIP code for Industrial and Product Design, a program in the applied visual arts that prepares students to design forms, shapes and packaging for manufactured products.

Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023 (degrees) at a glance

University of Houston18 degrees
Ohio State University19 degrees
Metropolitan State University of Denver22 degrees
University of Wisconsin-Stout24 degrees
California State University, Long Beach29 degrees
San Francisco State University33 degrees
Appalachian State University37 degrees
Auburn University44 degrees
Rochester Institute of Technology59 degrees
Iowa State University68 degrees
Industrial design bachelor’s degrees awarded, 2023 (degrees), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.

Official sites

Sources

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