Product design is a strategic problem-solving process that drives innovation, builds business success, and leads to a better quality of life through innovative products, systems, services, and experiences. It combines aesthetics with the utility of objects. Values, ideals, and aspirations of a culture are expressed through material objects, systems and now digital footprints; these become imperative to understanding our current circumstance and to inventing our future.
Graduates from the Department of Product Design will work in a variety of industries and settings, including product design firms, corporations, and public institutions. Students graduating with an undergraduate degree may also pursue graduate or post-professionalism education in specialized areas of product or industrial design.
Career paths for product designers include:
As the first program of its kind in Kentucky, the Department of Product Design’s Bachelor of Science degree offers a blend of traditional design approaches with a strong emphasis on research and a conscious openness to future opportunities.
Director, Department of Product Design
Students learn the fundamentals of product design in studio — a collaborative, experimental environment that focuses on making and exploring. Starting in year one, you learn to design using analog, digital and fabrication tools to problem solve. Then you continue to apply those skills to greater challenges as you advance through the program.
Students are also provided the opportunity to interact with regional, national and international design professionals through real-world projects, education abroad experiences, lectures by noted speakers, and more.
Product Design Curriculum Product Design ApplicationIndustrial designers combine art, business, and engineering to develop the concepts for manufactured products.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Click the link for more info.
Median Salary
$76,250
per year in 2023
Number of Jobs
32,400
in 2023
10 Year Job Outlook
700
new jobs (average)
Industrial designers work in a variety of industries. Although industrial designers work primarily in offices, they may travel to testing facilities, design centers, clients’ exhibit sites, users’ homes or workplaces, and places where the product is manufactured.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Read MoreThere are countless ways to enhance your time on campus, but the best way to maximize your journey at the University of Kentucky is by engaging in an Education Abroad opportunity.
This will allow you to gain a global perspective and enhance future employability. As you take the first step towards investing in your future, we encourage you to take advantage of all the opportunities UK has to offer. Take a look at some of the options UK Education Abroad & Exchanges office suggests to complement your major!
View Education Abroad
College of Design
Department of Product Design
Gray Design Building
349 Scott Street | Lexington, KY 40506
859-257-8870
