Industria Design Engineering - The Hague University (THUAS)

The programme
You could be the next bright engineer and design a DIY drone, which helps Doctors without Borders work more safely and effectively in warzones. You could develop interior solutions for urban young professionals. Or create a human-powered toy to comfort refugee children. On the three-year, full-time Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) programme of The Hague University you’ll learn how to develop smart new solutions for future challenges.
The first semester of IDE provides you with the basic industrial design engineering knowledge and skills. You’ll apply this immediately in your first design project. After that you can specialise in four dynamic semesters. During this time, you’ll work for real clients on integrated projects supported by workshops and skills training. You can choose a minor, a programme at another university, or an exchange abroad for a semester. In the final semester, you’ll put your skills to the test in an individual innovation project for a client or your own company.

Year 1
There are a lot of introductory workshops in year one. You’ll be continually working on design projects on IDE. From day one you’ll be convincing real companies and NGOs, like Bosch or Doctors without Borders, how your brilliant ideas can fill a gap in the market. In the first semester, you’ll reinforce your new professional experience with workshops and skills in the Basics of IDE. This includes user research, construction, business and personal branding, visual communication, prototyping and learning the necessary 2D/3D software programmes.
In year one, you’ll also get to make your first choice for the second semester. Will you go for Product Engineering, Strategic Design or Design Aesthetics and Perception? Your choice is important because it focuses your area of expertise.
There are three profiles in IDE: Explorer, Creator and Entrepreneur. Some semesters focus on one or two of these profiles, so you can choose what fits you best.

Year 2
The second year and first half of the third year are the main phase.
It’s time to put the individual competences you’ve developed in year one into practice. In the main phase, you’ll choose three more options from the extended semester menu. Each semester offers a real-life group project and a chance to take your individual development to the next level.
The results of each semester are showcased at a so called 'design expo'. For example, a group of students designed the Jänborsa, a solar cooking bag which allows Ethiopian women to cook meals for their family without electricity. How could such a crazy idea possibly work? On IDE, you’ll turn serious ideas into viable business plans by closely involving end-users and stakeholders in the design process.
Topics depend on the profile you choose in year one.
An overview (of semester C & D): Prototyping and Craftmanship / Smart Object / Responsible Design / Design with Nature / Economics of Design for (Mass) Production / International Insights Research / Exploring New Technologies / Entrepeneurship / Service Design and Design Thinking / Design Agency / Autonomous project / Minor at THUAS or a different university / Exchange abroad / Product Engineering / Strategic Design / Design Aesthetics and Perception

Year 3
First semester : you take your last choice semester from the main phase menu (see year two). You can also do a minor or exchange if you didn’t in year two.
Second semester: Your graduation project is an individual test to see if you can do an open innovation project. You can either work for a client, like you’ve done before, or set up your own company based on one of your designs or ideas. During this project you’ll demonstrate level 3 competencies to examiners in your graduation presentation.

Career prospects
You could be an innovator at Philips or develop 3D printing technology for a small production company that makes custom-made shoes for the consumer market. Or you could set up your own enterprise based on one of the ideas you developed during your studies. There are many opportunities once you complete IDE and begin your career. But as a young professional, you do much more. You’ll discover the culture at your company and what the profession does on a daily basis. You’ll attend meetings and company parties. You’ll also learn all there is to know about your market - the latest developments, the competition and what they do.
Possible jobs are: Innovation manager / Product designer / Industrial designer / Multimedia designer
Engineer / Design thinking advisor / Smart interior designer / Open source designer / User researcher
Entrepreneur