Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and enrolls approximately 30,000 students. The school is divided into nine colleges and one graduate school and offers more than 200 different degrees spread among bachelor's, master's and doctorate programs. Virginia Tech's industrial design program was ranked first in the nation by "U.S. News & World Report" (as of 2011) and includes approximately 120 students. Students within the industrial design program spend their first two years learning design principles alongside other design and architecture students, then spend the remainder of their four years developing a particular area of industrial design as their specialty.
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) enrolls approximately 16,000 undergraduate and 7,700 graduate students. UIC's industrial design program is contained in the university's School of Art and Design, and is structured on a four-year plan of study. Students begin with introductory courses in drawing, sculpture and design, and later are taught computer modeling and product design. Industrial design students also collaborate with students at UIC's College of Business and College of Engineering, gaining experience both in the structural aspects of design and its marketing potential.
The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is located in Rochester, New York, and, as of 2010, enrolls approximately 17,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students. RIT's School of Design offers both Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in industrial design. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree covers four years of study, beginning with drawing and modeling in the first year and advancing through art history and product design. Fourth-year industrial design students take courses specifically tailored toward career planning and design practice within a professional setting. The Master of Fine Arts is a two-year program: the first year of study concentrates on design history and theory, and the second is dedicated to researching and producing a thesis product.
The Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California, and enrolls more than 17,000 students. The schoo's Bachelor of Fine Arts industrial design program largely focuses on drawing, modeling and the general ability to work as a designer with a professional setting. Bachelor of Fine Arts students are not expected to choose an explicit specialty during their time of study. The Academy of Art University's graduate programs, on the other hand, offer courses dedicated to specific areas of production, including transportation, furniture and toy design.