Design & Innovation Management

Creative integration of design and business

Program Details

Location:

Online, Corvallis

Program Type:

Major, Minor

Overview

Design and Innovation Management

Are you a creative-thinker who can help a business or organization be a leader in design and innovation? Are you interested in working with multi-disciplinary teams on tackling creative challenges? The Design and Innovation Management program provides undergraduate students with an understanding of how to creatively lead the management and development of solutions and systems for 21st century design and business challenges.

Our design and innovation management degree focuses on the intersection of design and business, bringing together analytic and creative problem-solving skills through a human-centered design lens. Students study and apply tools and organizing frameworks from multiple disciplines including design thinking, project management, marketing principles, ethics, sustainability and social responsibility.

Management of design and innovation entails working with creative teams and stakeholders to build and transform customer and user experiences within any size company or organization. This collaborative process starts with the identification and understanding of important systems, service and product challenges that affect businesses and organizations. Managers then organize, direct and apply processes that create and develop improvements to these challenges or create completely new products, services and business models.

Graduates work in a variety of sectors including: design consultancies, user-experience and social-innovation analysis, nonprofits, startup companies, educational institutions, government research agencies, entrepreneurship in green industry and social ventures, and graduate studies in design, social sciences, engineering, management.

Design and innovation management is a major and minor offered in Corvallis and online.

Options:

Once you enroll in the design and innovation management program, you can select an area of focus from the following options:

The Dean’s Academy is an academic forum for high-achieving first-year students, transfer students, and current undergraduate students who wish to maximize the educational and experiential aspects of their college experience. Invitation to this option is restricted to those who meet eligibility requirements.

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The sports business option provides students with an understanding of the fundamentals of the business of sport, including sports finance, marketing, analytics and sponsorship. The program builds on core business knowledge acquired in business and design programs, and prepares students for careers in sports-related organizations.

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28+

degrees and areas of focus

85% Job placement rate

of classes have fewer than 50 students

450

companies recruit our students each year

Design and Innovation Management Opportunities

Study Abroad

Study Abroad

Florence, Italy: Accademia Italiana

London, England: London College of Fashion

Seoul, South Korea: Hanyang University

Explore study abroad opportunities >

Student organizations and clubs

Associated Clubs

Design Management Club

National Retail Foundation

Management Association

See all clubs >

Scholarship

Scholarships

Boeing Corporate

Dorothy Schilling Memorial Scholarship

Gladys Whipple Goode Scholarship

See all scholarship opportunities >

Careers

Possible Careers

studio management

product management

brand management

marketing/digital marketing

user experience (UX)

The creative side of Business

Matt Watson '99, founder, CEO and executive creative director of Watson Creative, started his design career with a move cross-country to New York City after graduation. By 2013, he launched his own creative firm.

He also supports the design and innovation management program in the College of Business with a student scholarship fund and industry thought leadership to the college’s Design and Innovation Management Advisory Council.

“It’s art. But it’s art with a very strategic business objective,” Watson said. “That is what makes the College of Business unique.”

These days, Watson is more involved with setting strategy for clients including Apple, EA Sports, PlayStation, Disney Marvel, LEGO, Pendleton and more than 50 professional sports teams.

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Meet Paige Stone

Paige Stone earned her bachelor of science in design and innovation management, summa cum laude, in just three years.

Stone describes design and innovation management studies as the integration of business functions, particularly business administration, into the design process. As a student, she became literate in product and service design as well as how to utilize business concepts to better market and manage the design process. “I’ve always enjoyed being creative and dreaming up new solutions, but I wanted the practical knowledge and skills of a business degree,” she said.

Taking classes like Textiles, Design Thinking and Process Innovation, Consumer Behavior, and Project Management, Stone studied alongside apparel designers and interior designers, gaining both a creative, design education and also a business education.

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From an Alum

Excellent people and excellent resources available to students — that’s the best thing about the College of Business

Sarah Moore ‘09, Columbia Sportswear

Here's why you should be a College of Business student

A success plan for life

Professional, personal and leadership skills form the backbone of successful careers. Blueprint, our award-winning series of classes, is focused on professional and leadership development and financial literacy. With Blueprint, you’re on track to graduate on time, with the skills and network to choose your career, and the savvy to make the big decisions at the right time.

We're not just business; we're family

Our first-year students live in one of our business-themed residence halls. This learning-focused, student-first, open-door culture makes the big Oregon State campus feel like the supportive place it is – and feel a lot smaller and easier to navigate than you might think.

We’re the only college at OSU that has a dedicated Career Success Center for our students. We help you find an internship, write a resume and find a job.

Ranked and accredited

Oregon State is ranked in the top five for online education with U.S. News & World Report. The College of Business overall, as well as our accounting program, is accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency for degree programs in business and accounting.

Discover the OSU difference