Contact Us
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the Academic Catalog
Mark Coen, Associate Registrar
617-989-4213
coenm@wit.edu
Office of the Registrar
Williston Hall 103
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA 02115
Industrial Design Department
Sam Montague, IDSA, Chair
Annex East Room 204
Phone: 617-989-4640
Faculty
Professors
- Herbert Fremin, AIA, IDEC, NCIDQ
- Fredrick Kuhn, IDSA
- Rachel G. Pike, ASID, IDEC, NCIDQ, LEED AP
Associate Professors
- Robert Meszaros, AIGA
- Sam Montague, IDSA
- Jeffrey Michael, IDSA
Assistant Professors
- Peter Greenberg, AIA, IDEC, LEED AP
- Nick Ortolino, CAA
- Ralf Schneider, IDSA
- Sean Stewart, AIA, LEED AP
- Lynette Suslowicz, IIDA, NCIDQ
- Simon Williamson, IDSA
Department Vision and Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Industrial Design is to prepare students to be thoughtful product designers. Through classroom, studio experiences, and organized critiques, students learn and implement the critical process of asking provocative questions, responding sensitively to the world around them, and developing and refining creative solutions. Students also hone their ability to present their work articulately and dynamically. During their tenure, they acquire an intellectual library of the design methodologies, materials, and approaches that they will need in their professional careers
Degree Program
Industrial Design: Leading to a Bachelor of Science degree
Professional industrial designers (product designers) work at the intersection of art, business, and technology. Through research and experience, designers enrich the lives of those around us, by interpreting our psychological and social desires/aspirations and transforming them into improved products and systems we interact with daily. Designers help provide innovative vision and structure for companies, individuals, and networks, as well as empathy for environmental and social issues, and enjoyment of our world.
As a graduate you will have opportunities to innovate products for the mass and private markets. Areas of possibility include, consumer electronics, education, toys, sports, medical equipment, footwear, house wares, furniture, and exhibit design. Many graduates begin their careers immediately, designing either as a consultant, or as an in-house designer for some of the nation’s leading brands. As they continue to grow, graduates often end up in leadership roles within their respective companies, making top-level decisions as a design director, or creative manager.
Much of your educational experience will consist of studio based projects as well as courses in drawing, model making, manufacturing technologies (such as computer-aided design and rapid prototyping), user research, and design history. Classroom and studio experiences are complemented by two required co-ops that reinforce curricular goals and help bridge the gap between student development and professional practice.
Wentworth‘s Industrial Design program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design. It is a fully accredited four-year program by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Industrial Design educational experience includes a cooperative work program in which students are required to spend two semesters working as an intern in the professional design field.
BIND Sophomore Review
A portfolio is not required for admission to the freshman year, however, at the end of the sophomore spring semester the Industrial Design students must successfully meet the following criteria for entry into the junior year:
- A minimum of 63 earned credits with an overall 2.0 GPA in their first two years of study
- A minimum 2.5 GPA for all first- and second- year INDS prefixed courses
- A successful portfolio review exhibition of studio design projects and assignments created in related disciplines (completed and in progress). The intent of the exhibition is for each student to demonstrate appropriate development and maturity in their design abilities over four semesters (freshman and sophomore year) of academic work.
Design Studio Grade Requirement
The following grade requirement must be achieved to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design. This requirement applies to: Industrial Design I: Studio (INDS 275), Industrial Design II: Studio (INDS 300), Industrial Design III: Studio (INDS 420), Industrial Design IV: Studio (INDS 500), Industrial Design V: Studio (INDS 575) and Directed Studies Studio (INDS 625).
The final grade must be a "C" or better if the final grade in the previous design studio is less than a "C".
Students who receive a grade below a "C" for two consecutive semesters are not permitted to continue in the studio sequence until they successfully repeat the second studio for which they received a substandard grade.
Freshman Year
|
Fall Semester |
Course |
R |
L |
C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSGN105 | Drawing I | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| DSGN130 | Design I | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| DSGN135 | Intro to Computer Graphics | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| ENGL100 | English I | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| INDS150 | Design History I | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 10 | 14 | 17 | |
|
Spring Semester |
Course | R | L | C |
| DSGN165 | Design II | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| ENGL115 | English II | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| INDS205 | Design History II | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| INDS215 | CAD I | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| INDS222 | Visualization I: Perspective Drawing | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 12 | 12 | 18 |
Sophomore Year
|
Fall Semester |
Course |
R |
L |
C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTIVE | Lower Level Social Science Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| INDS265 | Modeling Techniques I | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| INDS275 | Industrial Design I: Studio | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| INDS280 | Visualization II: Ideation | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| MATH211 | Plane and Solid Geometry | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 10 | 16 | 18 | |
|
Spring Semester |
Course |
R |
L |
C |
| ENGL350 | Writing Competency Assessment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTIVE | Lower Level Social Science Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| INDS300 | Industrial Design II: Studio | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| INDS310 | Visualization III: Rendering Techniques | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| INDS325 | Modeling Techniques II | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| PHYS211 | Conceptual Physics | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 11 | 14 | 18 | |
|
Summer Semester |
Course | R | L |
C |
| COOP300 | Pre-Cooperative Work Term (Optional) | 0 |
Junior Year1
|
Fall Semester |
Course |
R |
L |
C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INDS330 | Materials & Manufacturing | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| INDS405 | Visualization IV: Information Architecture | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| INDS415 | CAD II | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| INDS420 | Industrial Design III: Studio | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| INDS440 | Human Factors in Design | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 12 | 12 | 18 | |
|
Spring Semester |
Course | R | L |
C |
| COOP400 | Co-op Work Semester I | 0 | ||
|
Summer Semester |
Course |
R |
L |
C |
| ELECTIVE | Upper Level Humanities or Social Science Elective* | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| ELECTIVE | Technical Elective2 | - | - | 4 |
| INDS500 | Industrial Design IV: Studio | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| INDS515 | CAD III: 3-D Modeling | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Total | - | - | 15 |
Senior Year
|
Fall Semester |
Course | R | L |
C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COOP600 | Co-op Work Semester II | 0 | ||
|
Spring Semester |
Course |
R |
L |
C |
| COMM270 | Business Communications | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| ELECTIVE | Upper Level Humanities or Social Science Elective* | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| INDS565 | Design Perspectives: Topics of History | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| INDS575 | Industrial Design V: Studio | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| INDS580 | Directed Studies Research | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 13 | 8 | 17 | |
| Summer Semester | R | L | C | |
| INDS600 | Professional Practice | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| ELECTIVE | Upper Level Humanities or Social Science Elective* | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| INDS625 | Directed Studies Studio | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| INDS635 | Senior Seminar | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 10 | 8 | 14 |
R=Class Hours Per Week, L=Lab Hours Per Week, C=Semester Credit Hours
*Please refer to the upper level humanities/social science elective requirement.
1Prior to entering junior year courses, students must have completed the requirements listed here.
2Courses selected with the faculty advisor's approval to complement and to broaden the student's educational experience.





