College Admission & Design School?

Question

I graduated from undergrad w/ a 3.4 (engineering) and am currently in grad school w/ 3.9 (materials science). I have been contemplating leaving grad school and either (1) getting an additional undergrad degree in another area, or (2) pursuing my Masters in an unrelated area. I have been looking at industrial design schools, and although I have a strong background and interest in CAD/drafting, I believe that my limited background in fine arts is insufficient to get into these schools. Is it possible to take undergraduate classes to make up for these deficiencies, or are my dreams of entering one of these schools unrealistic?

Answer 1

Your best bet would be to talk with people at the school(s) you are considering and ask them for their insights on this question. The responses and expectations can vary dramatically from one school to the next. The admissions staff might be helpful but talking with faculty in the specific program would be more helpful.

Some schools do allow you to "make up" some undergraduate work while beginning your design degree. Some will accept you but will want you to take a semester or a year of undergraduate coursework prior to beginning graduate work. Others are set up to bring very diverse students into the grad program right from the start and they may be perfectly happy with the credentials you have to offer right now.

While you are talking to schools, you should also be talking to professionals in the area you wish to enter. It sounds like you are a solid student, but do you really know what you would be getting yourself into with this change? Is there a particular facet of industrial design that is intriguing to you? Where do you think this degree will take you? You need to have a fairly good grasp of those questions before making this shift. Good luck!

Answer 2

I think you'd probably be ok if you have cad/drafting experience, but it wouldn't hurt to take an undergrad drawing class and maybe an undergrad 2D design class.

Good luck!