In the late 1950s the School of Design added a third degree-granting unit, the Department of Product Design. Now in its fifth decade, the School of Design at North Carolina State University has concerned itself from the beginning with preparing designers who, in the broadest sense, shape the world.
Design education is more than an attempt to teach a set of technical skills.
Good design, therefore, requires attention and sensitivity to social, economic, political, cultural, and behavioral issues. The aim of all design curricula in the School of Design is to develop the designer's perception, knowledge, skills, and problem solving abilities. The School of Design admits students through a selective process that ensures a highly motivated and heterogeneous design community. The entering student body consistently ranks at the top academic achievement in the university, and the school1s graduation rates are the highest in the institution. While providing undergraduate and graduate study in multiple disciplines and encouraging individual plans of study, the school functions as a unified, interactive education center, dedicated to preparing designers capable of shaping the environment to various scales, but always in response to society's needs.