METU Industrial Design
Faculty of Architecture
Perhaps one of the least known but most "practical" departments in the Faculty of Architecture is Industrial Design. Here, its not buildings that are designed, but the everyday products we use — everything from a chair to a kitchen appliance, from packaging to the casing of an electronic device. In other words, this department trains the people who answer questions like "why does this cups handle look this way" or "why are this phones buttons positioned here."
The curriculum shares a similar studio culture with architecture — plenty of project courses, juries, models, and drawings. But the focus isnt on buildings or spaces; its on objects and user experience (ergonomics, materials knowledge, production techniques, even marketing are part of the curriculum). This is why the field requires an artistic mindset, an engineering mindset, and a bit of a marketing mindset all at once.
Graduates work at design agencies, in the R&D/design departments of manufacturing companies, in the packaging industry, at furniture companies, or by founding their own design studios. Since the department is relatively small (admitting fewer students), classroom relationships tend to be quite close-knit.
Anyone choosing this department should be someone who looks at everyday objects and wonders "why was this designed this way," should enjoy making things by hand (models, prototypes), and should be open to criticism — just as in architecture, jury critiques play a significant role here too.
The curriculum shares a similar studio culture with architecture — plenty of project courses, juries, models, and drawings. But the focus isnt on buildings or spaces; its on objects and user experience (ergonomics, materials knowledge, production techniques, even marketing are part of the curriculum). This is why the field requires an artistic mindset, an engineering mindset, and a bit of a marketing mindset all at once.
Graduates work at design agencies, in the R&D/design departments of manufacturing companies, in the packaging industry, at furniture companies, or by founding their own design studios. Since the department is relatively small (admitting fewer students), classroom relationships tend to be quite close-knit.
Anyone choosing this department should be someone who looks at everyday objects and wonders "why was this designed this way," should enjoy making things by hand (models, prototypes), and should be open to criticism — just as in architecture, jury critiques play a significant role here too.
For current admission scores and quotas, please visit YÖK Atlas.