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Bachelor of Design Studies

Bachelor of Design Studies

The Bachelor of Design Studies (BDS) is an 8 semester degree that helps you develop as a designer able to achieve professional success through in-depth investigation, critical analysis, and creative inquiry. Focus your study in either Sustainable Building Technology  or Computational Design.

The BAC Difference

  • Study with working professionals: Your instructors are leaders in the field and bring current perspectives on design studies into the classroom.
  • Network across the College: During your first two semesters (known as Foundation), you’ll learn the fundamentals of design in multidisciplinary studios with students from across the BAC's four academic areas.
  • Real-world experience: Our graduates are putting their education to work in firms focused on building design, sustainability, construction project management, and graphic technology.

Wide-Ranging Curriculum

  • Studio, drawing, and digital media courses build your core skills in design and communication. 
  • Courses in design history, art, humanities, and science equip you with practical and theoretical skills that can be applied in a wide range of creative industries.
  • Open electives give you the opportunity to explore your own interests related to Sustainable Building Technology or Computational Design.
  • Culminate your program with a thesis project that you create, develop, and complete under the guidance of faculty and your advisor.
  • Practicum Seminar—Design Studies’ unique applied-learning curriculum—sets students on a path toward a life of learning and growth.

Computation Design Program Details ðŸ¡¢

Sustainable Building Technology Program Details ðŸ¡¢

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Career Options

Created for students who want to explore design in all its possibilities, the BDS prepares you to pursue a variety of careers areas such as:

  • Building design
  • Sustainability program director
  • Retail design
  • Preservation advocacy
  • Construction project management
  • Graphic technology
  • Entrepreneur
  • Ecological design
The Bachelor of Design Studies program emphasized process: analysis, criticism, and design thinking methodologies. Where other programs touch on these subjects, the BDS program thrives in them. This involvement in analysis gave me an edge in my career; it provided a foundation for my work in business and design.

Sara Massarsky (BDS ‘16)

Related BAC Programs

91%

of BAC graduates are working in the design field

30%

of BAC students are international

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