Bachelor Industrial Design Engineering

In the IDE Bachelor’s you go deeper into the technical side of the design process than in other design-oriented bachelor’s. The reason is that we believe technology and design are increasingly intertwined: the more you know about modern technology, the further you can go in designing logical and innovative products. As a leading university of technology, we teach you to think and work like an engineer. This programme helps you to become an academically educated, entrepreneurial designer capable of coming up with surprising solutions. You learn to research how people think, and use your findings to create products that are attractive, user-friendly and effective. Thanks to your broad training, you are able to combine mathematics with creativity, and independent work with participating in interdisciplinary teams.

Studying Industrial Design Engineering in Twente means that you work with current, realistic assignments taken from the business world. The programme is firmly grounded in professional practice. You work for companies such as Ahrend, Philips and IKEA. For example, your project team might develop a product prototype to present to one of these customers. Quite a few products made by our students have actually made it to the market.

As an IDE student you will be trained as an entrepreneurial designer (note that UT has been awarded as ‘the most entrepreneurial university in the Netherlands’ several times). Throughout this Bachelor’s programme, you gain a firm grasp of the entire design process – from ideas to market introduction – along with all the knowledge of technology, design and marketing that you need for this. With your knowledge of fundamental science, you are able to navigate confidently between technical possibilities and market movements.

Like many of the UT’s programmes, Industrial Design Engineering is a small-scale programme. This means that as a student you receive intensive guidance: we invest a lot in personal attention. The atmosphere is informal and pleasant, and the distance between professors and students is small. Your input matters too: together with our student association, Daedalus, we are constantly improving our education and organizing all sorts of study-related activities.

Quite a lot of our students set up their own company during or after their studies. One of the reasons for this is that we actively encourage initiative and independence – for example, through our project education and the many assignments we give you. You also benefit from guest lecturers from organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, the Rabobank and Novel-T. Our students’ businesses are often small-scale and experimental in nature. Some evolve into larger companies, such as Aryzon and CodeSandbox. Thanks to the combination of disciplines and subjects that make this programme unique, you have a variety of career paths to choose from after you graduate.

In addition to thorough professional knowledge and skills, you develop a broad package of 21st-century skills and personal competences in this programme. You develop a working attitude focused on self-reflection and lifelong learning. Our informal, personal approach is aimed at helping you flourish both professionally and personally. You become more entrepreneurial and learn to apply academic knowledge to social practice. We challenge you to look beyond disciplinary and cultural barriers and to work effectively together with others, like in our strong project-based education. During your time studying Industrial Design Engineering, you have an unforgettable student experience thanks to our wonderful, green campus and the vibrant student city of Enschede, a city full of knowledge, innovation and fun!