BITS Pilani to set up design school in Mumbai; courses, admissions - all you need to know

Private university BITS Pilani on Thursday announced its entry into design education with the launch of BITS Design School (BITSDES). In a statement, the university said its design school will combine technology, business, and entrepreneurship with the creative arts to "nurture a new generation of future-ready design professionals poised to contribute actively to India's aspiration to be a developed nation by 2047".

BITSDES will kickstart with a four-year Bachelor of Design (Honours) programme in the academic year 2024-25, followed by a Master’s Degree programme and a Faculty Development programme for Design Educators. The school will offer five specialisation streams - Physical Product Design, Digital Product Design (UI/UX), Human Centred Design, Experience Design, and Visual Design.

The university said its design school will benefit from the expertise of world-renowned design figureheads like Don Norman and Sandy Speicher. 

Admissions open on 26 Feb 2024 for the founding class which will be taught by international visiting faculty and a marquee Indian faculty trained at the top Design schools in the world. 

In the second year of the programme, students can choose from the five streams offered for specialisation – Physical Product Design, Digital Product Design (UI/UX), Human Centred Design, Experience Design, and Visual Design.

A fully residential permanent campus will house BITS Design School, BITS School of Management, and BITS Law School. It is being built over 63 acres in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. 

While the permanent campus will be operational in early 2025, BITS Design School will commence its first academic session in August 2024 out of the interim campus in Powai, Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chancellor of BITS Pilani, said, "Design is increasingly pivotal in addressing the complexities of the new age. From manufacturing to services, and retail to technology, design is shaping the future of how businesses approach problem-solving and innovation." 

He said BITS Design School will reimagine design education with a bold, trans-disciplinary, competency-based approach, and embrace avenues where design can positively impact people, businesses, and the world. "BITS Pilani, with its rich legacy of academic excellence and trans-disciplinary thinking, is uniquely positioned to do this. And in the process, we will nurture a new generation of leaders who will use design to create value and solve problems for a better world."