School of Design
School of
Design
Overview
The School of Design is ranked among the best, with Business Week naming it one of the top 10 design schools in the country. Effective design combined with creativity and professionalism are the school’s tenets. Using both technological and theoretical approaches to find solutions to design problems, students work with award-winning faculty who are creatives, critical thinkers, and innovative problem-solvers. Students have access to state-of-the art laboratories and computer facilities as well as the Cary Graphic Arts Collection and the entire archive of renowned designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli, housed in RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies.
6
Number of designs from the industrial design program’s Metaproject senior studio that are currently in production through various companies.
12
Our Fab Lab is equipped with 12 3D printers - in addition to laser cutters, CNC routing devices and other technology - to complete submitted projects by students, faculty, and staff.
20
Faculty are professional members or affiliates of more than 20 national, international, and local organizations.
Latest News
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September 6, 2024
![The Rochester Fringe Festival logo is displaying in black and white, with the word Fringe in Orange.]()
RIT well represented at 2024 Rochester Fringe Festival
RIT students, faculty, and staff will contribute music, dance, comedy, poetry, photojournalism, and more during the 13th annual Rochester Fringe Festival, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 10, through Sept. 21.
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August 23, 2024
![Students throw paper planes with their dreams to end the Fall Convocation for New Students]()
RIT students urged to launch dreams in their new journeys
More than 3,100 new RIT students got their official welcome Thursday, first parading past cheering faculty and staff in the annual Tiger Walk, then in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center for some friendly advice during this year’s Fall Convocation for New Students.
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July 25, 2024
![Shaun Foster stands in front of a presentation screen with a blog-like display of different animation projects. The light from the projector is cast over his face, and there is a student working at his desk in the foreground.]()
RIT experts make their mark on Hollywood at digital AI summit
RIT experts in artificial intelligence, screenwriting, and digital design made their mark on Hollywood this week at one of the world’s foremost conferences on entertainment, media, and technology.
Featured Work
New Media Design Portfolio Showcase
How can design do good? From games, apps and installations, students from the New Media Design program create exciting new experiences.
Portfolio Showcase
Visual Communication Design MFA students to dive deep into emerging and future design, technology, interaction and motion trends.
3D Digital Design Reel
A compilation of student work from the last few years.
Featured Profiles
German Design Fellowship
Daeya Shealy '21 (Industrial Design) earned a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals fellowship to study and work as a designer in Germany for one year.
Building a Virtual Production Curriculum
Supported by MegaGrant from Epic Games, MAGIC Spell Studios has brought groundbreaking research and filmmaking techniques to RIT.
Medical Device Designs
RIT students in the Industrial Design (BFA and MFA) and Graphic Design programs showcased the power of industry partnership as they worked with medical technology company Stryker to design home...
Undergraduate Programs
Innovative and creative design solutions that enrich the ways in which people live, work, and play is the emphasis of the school’s undergraduate programs. The school offers BFA programs in 3D digital design, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and new media design.
Graduate Programs
The School of Design offers two MFA programs and an MS program. The MFA in visual communication design focuses on all areas of design, including graphic design, user experience/interaction design, design studies, motion graphics, and 3D digital design. The MFA in industrial design includes seminar courses in design history and research and studio courses focusing on sustainability and design process. Meanwhile, the MS in integrative design establishes a variety of creative design thinking techniques in multiple areas.
Student Resources
For internal College of Art and Design resources such as academic information, forms, FAQs and more, visit inside.cad.rit.edu. For information about academic advising, visit here.