CONFERENCES
E&PDE 2026 - 28th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education
The Conference will bring together representatives from education and industry interested in sharing new perspectives on design education.
Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
CAREER PATHWAYS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN GRADUATES
Hagins, Carly; Asmi Jan, Amelea
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Buck, Lyndon; Brisco. Ross; Bohemia, Erik
Author:
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
University of Kentucky, United States of America
Page(s):
121 - 124
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-1-912254-24-8
ISSN:
3005-4753
Abstract:
Understanding where industrial design graduates go after earning their degrees can illuminate the diversity of roles, industries, and trajectories that define contemporary design practice. This study investigates the career paths of individuals who earned university-level degrees in industrial or product design. Using publicly available alumni lists and cross-referencing them with professional data on LinkedIn, the study identifies patterns in employment including job titles, length of employment, and geographic mobility. Preliminary findings suggest that industrial design graduates pursue a wide range of roles, including positions in user experience, strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurship—fields that both intersect with and extend beyond traditional product design practice. This research invites reflection on how educators define and evaluate the “success” of a design degree. If a graduate builds a career outside of core industrial design practice, does that indicate a limitation of the curriculum, or evidence of the discipline’s expanding relevance? By examining graduate outcomes, this work offers insight into how design programs might better prepare students for an ever-changing professional landscape. The study also discusses methodological considerations for using publicly available data to explore alumni trajectories and outlines opportunities for future research integrating larger datasets and longitudinal analysis. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing discussions about aligning educational practices with the evolving realities of design work.
Keywords:
