Courses are taken sequentially by level. Each semester credit hour is a unit consisting of a minimum of fifteen hours of instruction appropriate to the level of credential sought, during a semester, plus a reasonable period of time outside of instruction which is required for preparation for learning experiences, such as preparation for instruction, study of course material, or completion of educational projects.
The course numbers are based on course codes established by the school and do not relate to state common-course numbering systems. The course numbers were created by using the first few letters of the name of the program and then three numbers to indicate level or sequence. Courses numbered in the 100s and 200s are designed for students enrolled in both the associates and bachelors programs. Course numbers in the 300s and 400s are designed for students enrolled in the bachelors program. For example, ID-101 is an introductory level Industrial Design class intended for Year-1 students. ID-204 is a more advanced course in Industrial Design intended for Year-2 students. Similarly, MATH indicates courses in mathematics; COMP indicates courses in computer science; SOCSCI indicates courses in the social sciences; NATSCI indicates courses in the natural sciences; HUM indicates courses in the humanities; EPS indicates courses in business and entrepreneurship; and SM indicates academic seminars.
Students are provided with a course syllabus at the start of each course. It contains the following:
ID-101 Design Practice, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides an introduction to the industrial design process. Beginning with abstract exercises, students are introduced to techniques for designing and engineering. Upon completion of this course, students will have the opportunity to develop skills that foster design creativity, thinking, representation, and development. (Prerequisite: none)
ID-102 Biodesign: Innovation Inspired by Nature, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
In this course students will explore past, present and future examples of Biodesign solutions to human problems. Upon completion of this course, students will have learned how experts in the field of biomimicry use nature’s organisms and ecosystems as model, measure and mentor to discover engineering, architectural, business operations/management, and product development solutions. (F. Lodato) (Prerequisite: ID-101)
ID-150 Design Studio 1, 6 credit hours lab
This course provides instruction in industrial design and project development within design constraints. Students engage in the design process through project work. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication are provided. Upon completion of this course, students will have gained experience in the conceptual, formal, spatial and material aspects of industrial design. (Prerequisite: none)
ID-199 Design Internship 1, 6 credit hours lab
This course provides an introduction to internships. Students are placed in internships according to their interests and through consultation with the Design Faculty. During the internship students engage in a shadowing process. The student shadows one or more designated employees at the industrial design company. The experience is customer design and is guided and supported by faculty and industrial mentors. Evaluation is based on weekly reports by the student and midterm and final reports by the mentor. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the role and responsibility of an intern and an understanding of the design work flow in an industrial work setting. (Prerequisite: ID-150)
ID-202 Special Projects in Wearables, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides a studio and lab environment for students to engage in a design project in wearable systems. Project teams will explore new concepts of wearable computing. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the constraints and demands that must be accounted for in order to design wearable solutions to problems in health and well-being, recreation, personal security, and social networking. (F. Ladato) (Prerequisite: ID-150)
ID-204 Special Projects in Education Technology, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides a studio and lab environment for students to engage in a design project in education technology. Project teams will explore new concepts of technology's role in learning. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the constraints and demands that must be accounted for in order to design devices and interventions that will satisfy the globally growing demand for education. (W. Bender) (Prerequisite: ID-150)
ID-250 Design Studio 2, 6 credit hours lab
This course provides instruction in industrial design and project development with an emphasis on social, cultural, or civic programs. The course builds on foundational design skills with more complex constraints and contexts. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to integrate aspects of design theory, design technology, and computation into the design process. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-150)
ID-299 Design Internship 2, 6 credit hours lab
This course provides an internship experience. Students are assigned a selected work site according to their major interests. There is an on-site supervisor as well as student mentors who together with the student establish competency goals to be completed during the internship experience. Several evaluations will be conducted to ensure students meet internship objectives. Upon the completion of the internship, students will be experienced in the practical application of knowledge and skills they have learned in the didactic and supervised studio settings of instruction. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-199)
ID-302 Advanced Projects in Wearables, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides an advanced studio and lab environment for students to engage in a design project in wearable systems. Project teams will explore new concepts of wearable computing in which they build upon the skills and tools that the students have already acquired. Upon completion of this course, students will have demonstrated a high methodical competence and a mastery of the design and engineering skills necessary to innovate in the wearable-computing field. (F. Lodato) (Prerequisite: any ID-200-level course)
ID-304 Advanced Projects in Education Technology, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides an advanced studio and lab environment for students to engage in a design project in education technology. Project teams will explore new concepts in which they build upon the skills and tools that the students have already acquired. Upon completion of this course, students will have demonstrated a high methodical competence and a mastery of the design and engineering skills necessary to innovate in the educational-technology field. (W. Bender) (Prerequisite: any ID-200-level course)
ID-350 Design Studio 3, 6 credit hours lab
This course provides opportunities to learn advanced industrial design projects. Students learn how industrial concepts and ideas translate into products. Upon completion of this course, students have integrated design skills used to negotiate the complex issues of program and form in a specific cultural context. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-250)
ID-399 Design Internship 3, 6 credit hours lab
In this course, students participate in an advanced internship. They work with the Design Faculty to prepare a written training plan that specifies the goals, educational objectives, and specific experiences and applications to be accomplished. Upon completion of the internship, students will be experienced in allocation of resources, establishing timelines for project plans, and establishing an evaluation process, including the criteria to be used that appropriately assess their work. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-299)
ID-401 Design Leadership 1, 1 credit hours lab
This course provides an opportunity for seniors to mentor students in lower classes. This provides the opportunity to develop team-leadership and management skills and fine-tune industrial design skills. Upon completion of this course, students will have improved skills in studio critique and the ability to judge the effectiveness of members of a design team and motivate and manage others. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-350)
ID-402 Design Leadership 2, 1 credit hours lab
This course provides additional opportunities for seniors to further their leadership, management, and knowledge skills by mentoring students in lower classes. Upon completion of this course, students will have advanced skills in leading a project design team and motivating and managing others as well as increase industrial design skills. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-401)
ID-450 Design Studio 4, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides a broad range of advanced-level investigations in industrial design in various contexts. Studio problems include projects that are found in the workplace and include investigations and new production technologies. Upon completion of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to integrate theoretical and technological training into specific design topics. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-350)
ID-499 Capstone Design Project, 4 credit hours lab
This course provides an opportunity for student teams to integrate, apply, and demonstrate their skills. Capstone projects can be research-oriented or design-oriented. Upon completion of this course, students will have created an industrial design that can be implemented and used. All activity is closely monitored by Design Faculty. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: ID-450)
MATH-101 College Algebra, 3 credit hours theory
This course is an exploration of algebraic operations and properties, fractions, exponents and radicals, equations and systems of equations, polynomials and factoring, graphing, inequalities, and more. (Prerequisite: none)
MATH-201 Statistics , 3 credit hours theory
This course provides an introduction to fundamentals of statistics. Upon completion of this course, students will have exposure to statistics, estimation theory, hypothesis testing, measures of performance, and notions of optimality, analysis of variance, and simple linear regression. (Prerequisite: MATH-101)
COMP-201 Principles of Software Development, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides an opportunity for students to explore the variety of principles of software design. Upon completion of this course, students will have knowledge of principles upon which common software tools are developed and maintained and an understanding of the theoretical constraints and limitations of software development. (Prerequisite: none)
COMP-301 Introduction to Computational Thinking (Python), 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides an opportunity for students to explore the foundational tools of computer science necessary to understand and articulate computational approaches to problem-solving. Upon completion of this course, students will have experience using the Python programming language to express computational principles as applied to simple problem-solving. (Prerequisite: COMP-201)
COMP-302 Introduction to Computational Thinking (JavaScript) , 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides an opportunity for students to explore the foundational tools of computer science necessary to understand and articulate computational approaches to problem-solving. Upon completion of this course, students will have experience using the JavaScript programming language to express computational principles as applied to simple problem-solving. (Prerequisite: COMP-201)
ENG-102 Introduction to Rapid Prototyping Methods, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides a practical hands-on introduction to digital fabrication. This includes CAD/CAM/CAE, NC machining, 3-D printing and scanning, molding and casting, composites, laser and water jet cutting, and PCB design and fabrication. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of these capabilities through projects worked on individually and jointly to create functional systems. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: none)
ENG-203 Methods of Sensor Design, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course presents concepts, principles, and algorithms for sensing and computation related to the physical world. Upon completion of this course, student will have developed skills to design a small-scale yet complex robot capable of real-time interaction with the natural world. (Prerequisite: ENG-101 or COMP-102)
EPS-401 Affordable Design, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides students with an opportunity to engage in a social entrepreneurship and design project in partnership with urban and rural communities. Students focus on income generation and meeting daily human needs through new product and service design and development. The scope of their work takes into consideration the cultural appropriateness of design choices and their impact on social venture success. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the impact of innovation in different problem-opportunity contexts. (Prerequisite: none)
EPS-402 Sustainable Design, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course provides students exposure to the environmental impacts and social-justice issues that are becoming increasingly important to today’s business leaders. Upon completion of this course, students will have exposure to the factors defining the challenge of meeting the needs of a business while taking into account social and environmental issues. (Prerequisite: EPS-301)
HUM-101 English Writing and Communication, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides students with written communication skills. Upon completion of this course, students will know the elements of effective written communication, ensuring that their written documents reflect a high level of professionalism and credibility. (Prerequisite: none)
HUM-102 Effective Speaking and Communication, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides the opportunity for students to study techniques of oral communication and to read and speak about the ideas they encounter in books on a variety of cultural, historical and social topics. Public speaking is essential in order to convey ones ideas and gain rapport with others. (Prerequisite: HUM-101)
HUM-201 College Writing, 3 credit hours theory
This course helps students to develop thinking and writing skills through frequent writing assignments based on critical response to intellectually challenging questions. Emphasis is on the writing process i.e. prewriting, drafting, revising, using peer and teacher critique, editing, and proofreading. Upon completion of this course, students will have completed four essays, including one that requires research. (Prerequisite: HUM-101)
HUM-202 How to Write a Design Proposal, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides students with an opportunity to refine their writing skills within the context of writing a design proposal. Upon completion of this course, students will be experienced in writing, editing, and critiquing proposals that make a persuasive case for a reasonable solution to a clearly articulated problem. (Prerequisite: HUM-101)
HUM-301 Philosophy: Practice-based Inquiry, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides an opportunity for students to establish or advance their understanding of practice-based inquiry through critical exploration of visual language, ethics, and approaches to knowledge acquisition. Students are introduced to quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluating various processes. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to use these theoretical underpinnings to begin to critically review literature relevant to their field of interests. (Prerequisite: none)
HUM-302 History of Design, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides students with a historical perspective of design as an outgrowth of the Industrial Revolution, when an individual craftsman could no longer be responsible for every stage of the development of a product. Upon completion of this course, students will be familiar with the changing role of the designer within the context of the development of new production techniques and materials in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the development of mass production, standardization, modularity and diversification. (Prerequisite: HUM-301)
NATSCI-302 Biology: Visual Perception, 3 credit hours theory, 3 credit hours lab
This course focuses on psychological theories of color, form, depth, and motion perception. Students will experience examples of visual processes through a number of in-class experiments. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the roles of learning, memory, imagination, and other cognitive processes on daily human experience. (Prerequisite: none)
SOCSCI-201 The History of Free Culture, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides an introduction to the free culture movement, a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify creative works in the form of free content. Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the history of free culture, the underlying philosophical, social, and ethical frameworks, and familiarity with the various mechanism used for promoting and permitting the free exchange of ideas. (Prerequisite: none)
SOCSCI-302 Social Psychology, 3 credit hours theory
This course provides an introduction to social psychology, the science of how we influence the way people think, feel, and act. The aim of this course is to familiarize students with research and theory in social psychology in order to develop critical thinking skills about social-psychological phenomena. Another course object is to stimulate students to think about the implications of social-psychological research for their personal and work lives. (Prerequisite: none)
SM-101 Advising Seminar, 1 credit hour theory
This is the first of two seminars to introduce students to the challenges and opportunities of their training and college life. These seminars provide an orientation to Miami College of Design and how to navigate a successful path to graduation. Students participate in small-groups and have individual interactions and discuss challenges and opportunities that will occur and ways to handle them. (All faculty) (Prerequisite: none)
SM-102 Advising Seminar, 1 credit hour1 theory
This seminar provides additional orientation for first-year students. The goal of this seminar is to enhance student success and satisfaction. Upon completion, students will experience small-group and individual interactions and discuss solutions to personal and academic challenges. (All Faculty) (Prerequisite: SM-101)
SM-401 Senior Seminar, 1 credit hour theory
This seminar provides a forum for students to select their senior project topic. There are weekly class meetings as well as individual conference with faculty. Upon completion, students will have defined a method of approach and prepared a thesis proposal to successfully complete a BS degree in Industrial Design. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: simultaneous enrollment in ID-450)
SM-402 Professional Seminar, 1 credit hour theory
This seminar provides a forum for students to reflect upon their overall program of study at the Miami College of Design and develop a deeper understanding of how their studies have prepared them for their professional careers. Upon completion of this seminar, students will have amassed an annotated portfolio of their work suitable for presenting themselves to the job market. (Design Faculty) (Prerequisite: simultaneous enrollment in ID-499 or EPS-499)