College of Design History– 75 Years of Design Curriculum

This blog is part of a series of posts featuring stories and photos from NC State’s College of Design, formerly School of Design. In celebration of the College’s 75th anniversary, the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) created an exhibit titled “College of Design: 75 Years of Designing Tomorrow.” The exhibit opens in the D.H. Hill Jr. Library’s exhibit gallery after spring break March 2024. Graduate students Shima Hosseininasab, Kelly Arnold, and Alana Gomez worked together to create content for the exhibit and blog posts.

Throughout the history of the School of Design, the structure of classes remained very similar even if the contents and instructors changed. Studios were taught Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with Design Labs five days a week from 2-5pm. Students had access to studio spaces and shops nearly 24/7 at the start of the school. 

One aspect of the curriculum that changed was the requirement of Air Science I and Military Science I, listed as required courses in the 1964-1966 catalog. By 1966 these classes disappeared from the undergraduate catalogue and were soon after replaced with courses like Environmental Design and History of Design. The shift in curriculum reflects changes in the world outside the School of Design as civil and human rights initiatives took shape around the nation.

However, through each decade of the School’s curriculum, all Design students went through the same courses during their first (and early on second) year before starting to specialize in their third year. Students could pursue subjects like architectural design, landscape design, structures, descriptive drawing, humanities and history, and city planning, though as freshmen they were required to go through the basic design curriculum, later known as design fundamentals. Courses emphasized process, critical thinking, and exposure to a wide range of philosophies about the best way to practice design.

“College of Design: 75 Years of Designing Tomorrow” opens in March 2024 in the exhibit gallery of the D.H. Hill Jr. Library. You can visit the exhibit during Hill Library’s hours for the rest of the year. 

If you have any questions or are interested in viewing Special Collections materials, please contact us at library_specialcollections@ncsu.edu or submit a request online. The Special Collections Research Center is open by appointment only. Appointments are available Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm and Saturday, 1pm–5pm. Requests for a Saturday appointment must be received no later than Tuesday of the same week.