Bennett
Does it matter what degree I get to be a product designer (BID, BDes, BA, BS, etc.)?
I'd like to pursue product design as a major in college and I can't really find any substantial information how it influences potential employers or the extremity of the differences between them. I'm interested in industrial design for consumer products (and UI/UX, but that's a different scenario).
I've found universities that give a BID (industrial design), BDes (design), BA (arts), BS (science), and a BS-MaDE (manufacturing and design engineering). What sort of impact would the type of degree make?
2 answers
Glenn A
Glenn’s Answer
As long as you have an Accredited Degree in Industrial Design, it is not important which degree that you have. As Sam indicated, Industrial Design is about the exterior shape of the product, location of features and buttons, but this usually does not getting into the part design and working with the production of the components or assemblies. The better you understand the engineering side, the better that you can interface with the engineers.
Sam Seldon, P.E.
Sam’s Answer
Hello Bennett,
As far as I know, there is no such thing as a major in product design. If you are interested in industrial design, you will need to get a degree in industrial engineering. This means getting a Bachelor's of Science degree because all engineering degrees are "...... of Science". So a Bachelor's of Science in Industrial Engineering is what you want.
Sam