First Year – Core Design Program

Your experience in the College of Design is divided into two phases:

1. One-year, pre-professional Core Design Program *
2. Three- or four-year professional or general degree program

Students entering the College of Design attend a common set of studio and lecture classes — the Design Core — which prepare you to apply to any of our professional degree curricula.

Classes in the Core Design Program create a shared language, experience and community that expose students to all undergraduate majors within the College of Design, including:

• Architecture
• Art and design
• Community and regional planning
• Graphic design
• Industrial design
• Integrated studio arts
• Interior design
• Interdisciplinary design
• Landscape architecture

Our Core program will allow you to:

• Make informed degree choices
• Apply to multiple programs at the end of your first year
• Experiment with interdisciplinary work at the earliest stage of your college education.

*All incoming freshmen (except pre-BPMI and pre-CRP majors) and transfer students (except pre-CRP majors) complete the Core Design Program to advance into any of the professional degree programs. Learn more about the application process.