Previously a subsidiary of graphic design, industrial design is now available to students to claim as their major.

The decision to add the major through the College of Design was made by the Board of Regents at their meeting Aug. 4 and 5.

“Industrial designers find great jobs in a variety of places,” said David Ringholz, the professor heading up the newest section of design. “They make great team members because they are trained in creative thinking techniques and often the only people at the table with the ability to communicate visually.”

Only 20 students are admitted to the program each year. This year’s class was filled before the beginning of the 2010 school year. Ringholz also expressed his desire to extend this program’s reaches to graduate students in the next few years.

Iowa State is the only college in the state offering the degree, and 1 of 10 in the Midwest. Professor Ringholz firmly believes that this decision will only strengthen the college.

“Adding industrial design to the other major programs … makes [Iowa State] one of the most comprehensive colleges of design in the country,” Ringholz said. “Students inside and outside the college have been interested in majoring [in industrial design] so the college decided now is the time.”

The new major is available for students to enter after a year spent in a core design program. They then have to do three years of work toward a bachelor’s degree in industrial design.

Hopefully with hard work and dedication, we’ll be seeing some brilliant student founded innovations in the workplace in the next few years. More information on the program is available online.