Product Design Careers

Make a living AND make a difference.

The Product Design program evolves three KCAD programs—each with a strong track record of leading graduates to professional success—into a forward-thinking learning experience driven by where design is now and where it’s headed next. Thanks to a unique blend of classic industry training and an interdisciplinary approach to design, you’ll emerge from the program prepared to adapt to and thrive within a wide variety of professional settings.

Whether you’re looking to make your mark in an organization or make your own way as an entrepreneur, you’ll become a leader who can grow in step with a rapidly-changing world and use your creativity to bring lasting value to individuals, companies, and culture-at-large.


Possible Careers


Furniture Design Concentration

  • Furniture Designer (independent or contract)
  • In-House Designer (for large manufacturing companies)
  • Furniture Design Educator
  • Furniture Curator
  • Furniture Appraiser
  • Hardware Designer
  • Exhibit Designer
  • Design Consultant
  • Lighting and Accessories Designer
  • Private Buyer


Industrial Design Concentration

  • Industrial Designer (Independent Consultant)
  • Industrial Designer (Corporate Design Studio or Research & Development)
  • Industrial Designer (Start-Up Business)
  • Footwear Designer
  • Color Designer
  • Product Designer
  • Product Developer
  • Prototype or Model Maker
  • Research and Development
  • Design Research
  • Exhibit Designer
  • Packaging Designer

Metals and Jewelry Design Concentration

  • Fine and Costume Jewelry Designer
  • Custom Goldsmith
  • Independent Production Design/Entrepreneur
  • Jewelry Educator
  • Jewelry Manufacturer
  • CAD Surfacer for Product or Jewelry Design
  • Technical Designer (3D Printing and Manufacturing Consultant)


Alumni - Professional Success

Where KCAD Furniture Design alumni work

Where KCAD Industrial Design alumni work

Where KCAD Metals and Jewelry Design alumni work

 


Alumni - Continuing Their Education

 

Where KCAD Furniture Design alumni have attended graduate school

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI) – Master of Fine Arts
  • Cranbrook Academy of Art (Detroit, MI) – Master of Fine Arts
  • California State University – Master of Fine Arts
  • University of Phoenix (Tempe, AZ) – Master of Education, Adult Education and Training

Where KCAD Industrial Design alumni have attended graduate school

  • Ferris State University (Big Rapids, MI) - Master of Business Administration
  • Domos Academy (Milan, Italy) – Master in Product Design
  • Southern California Institute of Architecture (Los Angeles, CA) – Master of Architecture
  • IIT Institute of Design (Chicago, IL) – Master of Design
  • Umeå Institute of Design (Umeå, Sweden) - Master of Fine Arts, Interaction Design
  • Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI) - Master of Fine Arts, 3D Design

 

Where KCAD Metals and Jewelry Design alumni have attended graduate school

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL) – Master of Fine Arts, Metals
  • Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) – Master of Fine Arts, Jewelry and Metals

 


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