Department of Design

Department of Design (DoD) was established in 2017 with the mission of nurturing creative minds into outstanding design leaders of the 21st Century. It is grounded in the philosophy of liberal education and intends to offer programs that provide students with holistic transdisciplinary education along with specialisations in their specific areas of interest. The Department aspires to become a centre of excellence in design education, research, and practice through a future-forward, human-centred, research-driven, practice-oriented approach. 

Design as an activity is considered fundamental to human beings. Every human being designs, and everyone is a designer. However, as a professional field of study, it evolved since the 1920s, transforming knowledge from various disciplines, including art, craft, architecture, engineering, humanities, social sciences, etc. It is often considered an applied art and science of using the process of Design Thinking to conceive innovative, sustainable products, systems, and services that satisfy users’ needs in specific and society at large. Globally it has been accepted as a serious, independent discipline, both in practice and in academics. The Department envisage that if one wants to be contemporary and relevant in Design today and in the future, one has to keep pace with technological changes. Future Design leaders should be creative thinkers, problem identifiers and solvers, and an aesthetically sensitive connoisseur who can responsibly simplify complexity and plan for the future. Currently, the Department offers a 4-year Bachelor of Design (B. Des.) program with an option to pursue a 5-year Integrated B. Des. – M. Des. Degree, and Minor in Design.

Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) is a 4-year, future-oriented, trans-disciplinary program that uniquely curates knowledge and skills from Social Sciences, Arts, Engineering, and Management into Design. The program is focused on nurturing design leaders equipped with the core competencies for the 21st Century and beyond. The Department of Design undertook a year-long extensive and intensive consultation process to understand the changing landscape of Design in the 21st Century. It involved several prominent Indian and global Design experts & visionaries both from academia and industry. The B. Des. program assimilates all the wisdom and insights gained from the process. It provides a choice-based streaming system, allowing students to specialise in Experience Design (UI-UX), Product-System Design, and Visual Communication Design. The program is open for all 10+2 (or its equivalent) pass candidates from any stream with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks and English as a compulsory subject.

Integrated B.Des. - M.Des. Degree is a 5-year, full-time program, open for all 10+2 (or it's equivalent) pass candidates from any stream with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks and English as a compulsory subject. All the B. Des. students, after completion of 3 years, will have the option of upgrading to the Integrated B.Des. - M.Des. Degree. The program is focused on preparing excellent design researchers and practitioners in Experience Design (UI/UX) and Social Innovation for Sustainability. A teaching assistantship of ₹20 000 per month (for ten months) is available in the eighth and ninth semesters for Integrated B.Des.-M.Des. Degree students.

Design Minor started in 2014, is one of the most popular minors at Shiv Nadar IoE and is open for undergraduates from any discipline. The program intends to introduce them to Design and design fundamentals. Students get unique opportunities to work in multidisciplinary groups and explore Design through experiential learning. In the rapidly changing global economy background, Design is expected to provide students with a much broader perspective of 21st Century problems and professional exposure. Currently, few Indian Universities offer such an opportunity. It is expected to give them an edge over other undergraduates, making them adept for a wide range of placements, including entrepreneurship. Also, students acquire sufficient knowledge and skills to compete in any Master’s Program in India and abroad. The Royal College of Art (RCA), London; Parsons School of Design - The New School, New York, USA; Art Center College of Design, California, USA; Penn State University, Pennsylvania, are a few places where our students have gone for further studies.