Become a professional designer for the 21st century, ready to tackle current momentous challenges. Whether as an industry professional or an entrepreneur, you’ll develop design solutions and strategies that innovate and improve life.
Pratt Industrial Design students become designers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and corporate leaders — diversity fostered by a program that encourages exploration and professional growth. You’ll begin with grounding courses in drawing, color, 3-D form, model making, and digital computer skills, and design studios that introduce you to critical thinking, problem solving, and environmental responsibility. During junior and senior year, specialized studios focus on your individual areas of interest such as product design, furniture, tabletop, food design, athletic gear, or exhibition design.
The design studio is at the core of your educational experience at Pratt. It is a creative space and a community in microcosm, from which we connect to the larger community. We believe education takes place in the studio and the classroom and that the work in the studio benefits the student’s growth equally. Working with tools and materials in the studio deepens knowledge of the opportunities inherent in form-making and design exploration.
Maker Spaces and Labs
Sustainability, material exploration, and methods of production drive our passion for making. We are hands-on and immersive; any student of design can discover, iterate and refine their investigations through the use of our many labs. Learn more
Capstone Project
In your senior year, you’ll complete a capstone project focused on an area of your interest which is a first milestone towards your future professional practice. The capstone studio project is presented at the annual design show, a public event attended by industry leaders and potential employers. Pratt Shows 2023.
Study Abroad
Isamu Noguchi sculpture, Keio University’s Art Center, Japan
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the college experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. See where you can go.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learn more.
Our Faculty
Pratt’s distinguished faculty of outstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to fully develop each student’s individual potential and creativity. The faculty come from diverse educational and professional backgrounds representing the breadth of Industrial Design’s complexity. This multiplicity of views and experiences provide for a tailored education that is as unique as each of the students. See the full list of Industrial Design faculty and administrators.
Industrial Design alumni have risen to the tops of their fields in product design, exhibition design, health and wellness industry, academia, transportation, government, community development and advanced research.
Where They Work
Creative Director of Brand Strategy, General Motors
Executive Director, Smart Design
Creative Director, Tumi
Director of Design Development, Bioforcetech Corp
Executive Director, Global Visual Merchandising at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Ready for More?
HERE’S HOW TO APPLY
PORTFOLIO HELP
OUR CAMPUS & BEYOND
Thinking seriously about Pratt? Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
Building your portfolio can be daunting. We’ll answer your questions and help you feel confident about the portfolio you submit with your application. Start building your portfolio, now.
Find yourself at home at Pratt: our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighbors. Check us out.
RA Isaiah, BFA Fine Arts (Sculpture and Integrated Practices) ‘26, shows us how he personalized his space in Leo J. Pantas Hall!
Pantas is a suite-style residence hall for first-year students located in the center of our Brooklyn campus.
Please note that this space is an RA space and may not always reflect the options available for first-year students.
#PrattInstitute #PantasHall #ResidenceLife #BrooklynCollege #NewYorkCollege #ClintonHIll #Brooklyn #ArtSchool #DesignSchool #ArchitectureSchool
This year the @MTA is celebrating the 120th anniversary of the NYC subway. If you are in town today you can catch a nostalgia ride on on a vintage Lo-V travelling along portions of the original IRT route!
It is no surprise that the NYC subway finds itself in the work of our students and alumni, it is a quintessential part of our city. Swipe to check out some of the many ways the NYC subway touches Pratt creatives.
Hit the link in our bio for a map of Pratt artists work on the MTA!
Images: Wooden G Train, Designer and artist Stephen Fay is the Pratt Grad behind Munipals, the wooden trains sold at the NYC Transit Museum; A miniature G Train constructed by Jun Zhang, MS APckaging Design '20, while in quarantine in her Brooklyn apartment in 2020; Pocket Artifcats from the Subway Color Archive, Mari Kroin, BArch ’17. The S-C-A maps the layered elements of MTA platforms as the 8th Avenue Independent Subway (IND) stations between 207th Street and Jay Street Metrotech approach their centennial; Akiva Listman, BFA Fine Arts (painting) '21, "Something From Nothing" 2024 Framed MetroCards on Matboard 15 x 13.5; Xenobia Bailey, Industrial Design '77 “Funktional Vibrations” at NYCT 34 St–Hudson Yards Station. (Photo: David Sundberg/Esto); Nicole Rifkin, BFA Communications Design '14 "On the M Train" for @NewYorkerMag.
Follow along on Friday, Nov. 15, as Pratt Munson (@PrattMunsonUtica) takes over our account during their trip to Brooklyn! 👀
Pratt Munson students spend their first two years in Upstate NY, immersed in a tight-knit, creative environment within Utica’s historic arts community, anchored by the renowned Museum of Art, Munson (@MunsonUtica). They follow the same rigorous curriculum as our Brooklyn students, in a quieter setting. Now, students are ready to explore what’s next—life on our Brooklyn campus next fall.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at their journey, from Utica’s creative roots to the vibrant energy of Brooklyn. Stay tuned for student stories, campus insights, and all things Pratt!
Our RAs are the best! Eiler, BFA Art and Design Education ‘25, takes us on a tour of their space in the Grand Avenue Residence.
Grand Ave is an apartment-style residence available for students from their sophomore year until graduation. Please note that this space is an RA space and may not always reflect the options available for all upperclass students.
#PrattInstitute #NYCCollege #ArtSchool #DesignSchool #ArchitectureSchool #ArtStudents #DesignStudents #EamesChair
Considering Early Action? The deadline is almost here. Apply to Pratt by November 15 and have your non-binding admission decision by mid December.
#PrattInstitute #Brooklyn #Pratt #EarlyAction
Today is the day. Go vote!
Photos from this fall's Drag Out the Vote event hosted by the Office of Student Involvement, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Queer Pratt.
#Vote #ElectionDay #CivicEngagement
📸 Megan Proctor BFA Photography ‘25
Join us for Pratt Institute’s 2024 Design Symposium: Design Beyond Boundaries – Rethinking the Future! 🌟
Discover how design drives change and redefines possibilities in today’s world! Industry leaders will explore themes of reinvention, renewal, restoration, and recycling, showing how design addresses societal challenges and shapes a sustainable future.
✨ Panelists:
Tim Rodgers – Director, Museum of Arts and Design (@timothy_robert_rodgers @MADMuseum)
Annabelle Selldorf – Founding Principal, Selldorf Architects, Pratt Alumna (BArch ’85) (@SelldorfArchitects)
Stellene Volandes – Editor-in-Chief, Town and Country (@StelleneVolandes @TownAndCountryMag)
🎤 Moderated by Marc Rosen (@MarcRosenNYC), Renowned Cosmetics Packaging Designer, Pratt Trustee Emeritus
🎟️ This event is free and open to the public; reservations are required.
Date: November 19, 2024
Time: 6–7:30 PM
Location: Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, The Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
Supported by the Marc Rosen Education Fund and additional funding from Juliana Terian, The Terian Foundation.
Don’t miss the chance to be part of a conversation that highlights how design shapes our future!
Hit the link in our bio for more info and tickets!
#PrattDesignSymposium #DesignBeyondBoundaries #FutureOfDesign #SustainableDesign
This year's costume contest did not disappoint! At least two Chappell Roans, one David Bowie and more graced the stage at the student union. See yourself or a friend? Leave a comment!
📸 Megan Proctor BFA Photography ‘25
Pratt industrial design alumni are designers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and corporate leaders. This diversity comes from a program of study that allows freedom to explore. In the first and second years, students take core courses, which provide grounding in drawing, color theory, 3-D form, model making, and a full suite of digital design and production skills. At the same time, they take design studios that introduce them to critical thinking, problem-solving, and sustainability. Various studio options are available to the students in the junior and senior years when students can take specialized studios that align with their individual interests and professional aspirations, such as product design, furniture, tabletop and food design, shoes, athletic gear, exhibition design, and interdisciplinary design.
At the end of the senior year, students will complete a capstone studio, which aligns with their concentration area and the direction their future careers may follow. The capstone studio project is exhibited at the annual design show, a public event that industry leaders and potential employers attend.
The department offers study-abroad exchanges with several leading European design schools and a summer furniture-making program in Copenhagen through the Danish International School.
Upon completion of their studies:
Students demonstrate entry-level professional competence in translating their ideas into 2D and 3D design solutions.
Students can apply the steps of the design process according to current professional practice.
Students demonstrate fluency in using digital and analog design tools.
Students use a life cycle approach to examine environmental and social impacts of their design, and apply that knowledge to the development of holistic sustainable strategies.
Students approach the needs of clients and end-users from an ethical, socially responsible perspective.
Students use intellectual, ethical, and critical methods of design inquiry.
Students demonstrate an understanding of the broader context of design in relation to issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.
