Comprised of a dynamic grouping of disciplines—architecture, design studies, housing and urban development, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, real estate development, and visual communication design—the College of Design is at the forefront of the global, regional, economic, and environmental design questions that are shaping the twenty-first century. The college is committed to providing a transdisciplinary design education to our students and preparing them to be successful future designers, while strengthening links to the professional and university communities.
When the College of Design was established as an independent college in 1964, its founders shared a vision of design excellence. That high standard has been a steady beacon, and the college has grown into one of the top design schools in the nation. The Interior Design program was recently named as the number two program for public or private institutions in the United States and the master of architecture program consistently ranks in the top ten for public institutions in the United States by Design Intelligence, a design industry publication.
The founding dean, James Elmore, recognized the endless opportunities provided by fostering a strong relationship between the university and the surrounding communities. During Elmore’s tenure as dean, the idea for the Rio Salado project was conceived and brought to realization when the Tempe Town Lake was completed in 1999. The college’s continuing commitment to community engagement is strong, with community-based studio projects an important component of a student’s learning experience.
During 1949–50, the man who would be the college’s founding dean, James Elmore, suggested that ASU develop a two-year technical architecture program to “play the role of a forceful pioneer” in Arizona, with no schools of architecture closer than Los Angeles, Berkeley, or Salt Lake City.
During the 1950s, the program grew to offer the Bachelor of Architecture degree in the fall of 1957. In its first ten years, the student body grew from 45 to 142 and full-time faculty from two to five members. In 1958, the program became an associate member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, and the first Bachelor of Architecture degree was awarded in May 1960. In January 1961, the college’s first accreditation was granted. By the end of the second decade of architectural studies at ASU, the study body had grown to 407 with full-time faculty of 21 members.
The program became the Division of Architecture in 1957 and the School of Architecture in 1959, still within the brand-new College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. On July 1, 1964, the program became the independent College of Architecture.
Through the next decade, the college grew and diversified in the study of architecture, urban design, and design. In 1977–78, the college was officially reorganized in three separate departments—architecture, design sciences (interior design and industrial design), and planning. In 1983, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a change in name to the College of Architecture and Environmental Design to more accurately reflect the depth and breadth of design and planning studies within its programs.
The School of Planning was formerly the School of Planning and Landscape Architecture. The Bachelor of Science in Design in Urban Planning was awarded from 1980 to 1990, with the Bachelor of Science in Planning established in 1991. In July 2004, the Landscape Architecture program moved to the School of Architecture, now the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.
The Department of Design Sciences, established in 1977, was comprised of Interior Design and Industrial Design programs, which moved from the Department of Home Economics and College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, respectively. In 1989, the department was renamed the School of Design. The graphic design program joined the school in June 1996, moving from the School of Art and joining the School of Design. In 2005, the School of Design was disestablished and three separate units—the Department of Graphic Design, Department of Industrial Design, and the Department of Interior Design were established. Most recently, the Graphic Design program changed its name to the Department of Visual Communication Design to reflect the interactive and environmental design of today’s graphics profession.
In July 2005, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a name change for the college to the College of Design to reflect the college’s mission to emphasize the importance of design as the bond between its discipline programs.
The Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies was approved as a new degree program in the College of Design in May 2006. And most recently, approval was received from the Arizona Board of Regents for the new Master of Real Estate Development (RED) accelerated degree program, which is a partnership among the W.P. Carey School of Business, Del E. Webb School of Construction, ASU College of Law, and College of Design. RED students will begin in Fall 2006.
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