Top Schools

Offering programs emphasizing a holistic approach, Carleton’s School of Industrial Design is just one of two schools in Canada recognized by the Industrial Design Society of America.

Started in 1907 by German cabinetmaker Frederick Meyer, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, the school has a storied legacy.

Aspiring designers in Bozen-Bolzano’s Faculty of Design and Art hone their “ability to create communication that involves all the senses and, through their creations, provoke a critical analysis of the status quo.”

“Like a conservatory for aspiring performing artists,” ArtCenter offers “a space for dedicated art and design students to grow and thrive under the guidance of a faculty of working design professionals and artists.”

Auburn’s School of Industrial + Graphic Design is recognized for its studio-based and industry-sponsored projects, through which students delve into transportation, furniture, consumer products, exhibits and user interface.

Conducted through the Faculty of Design & Dynamic Media, rigorous coursework and hands-on projects and prototyping focus on human-centered research, sustainable design, applied industry partnerships, materials research and development and contemporary theory.

Founded in 1999, the School of Industrial Design at this huge Malmo-area university is designed to be “globally relevant without loosing its Scandinavian roots.”

A ever-growing heavyweight in the European sphere, this Swiss school continually turns out grads with top-notch portfolios, many of whom quickly launch their own studios.

CMU’s School of Design recently refocused all of its design programs to look at the field through a “design for interaction” lens.

Much-vaunted Eindhoven takes a classically Dutch approach to learning, espousing freedom as the path to creativity.