DESIGN-BS - Design (BS)
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Program Overview
The DESIGN-BS bulletin page outlines all 2025-2026 degree requirements for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Design from the School of Engineering. This undergraduate major is administered by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the Stanford d.school).
Our mission is to graduate designers who can synthesize technology, aesthetics, and business factors in service of the planet and human needs. Students emerge with a strong technical know-how, and visual thinking abilities that provide human-centered orientation to problem-solving. The ability to seamlessly integrate across “right brain / left brain” ways of thinking empowers students to make products, services, and experiences with transformative potential. Students receive a foundation across engineering disciplines in mathematics, statistics, sciences, technology in society, and engineering fundamentals. Our core classes draw from the social sciences and foreground ethics, implications, history, and needfinding. Each student pursues a method track for specialized training on a medium of making. This is paired with the student’s choice of a domain focus area to address challenges in a field where designers create impact. All this culminates into senior capstone projects where students scope and execute meaningful design work.
Completion of all requirements within this undergraduate engineering program leads to conferring the Bachelor of Science degree in Design (DESIGN-BS). This major prepares students for unique internships, postgraduate study in design, careers in entrepreneurial endeavors, public or private sector institutions, and even careers that may not yet exist.
About DESIGN-BS:
Declare the Design major by following steps on our Design: Declaration Form.
View our public webpages on the d.school website in the Undergraduate Degree section.
Discover additional academic resources and guidance on the SoE Undergrad Handbook.
Academic Progress:
Track real time degree progress as a declared student using My Academic Path.
Support offered by our major advisors in Office Hours or at ugdesign-advising@stanford.edu.
Follow key academic dates and deadlines on the Academic Calendar 2025-2026.
Enrollment and Classes:
Plan classes, calculate units, and mark requirements by filling out a Design Program Sheet.
Browse for classes and their offerings during the academic year on Navigator.
Enroll in classes during the academic year through Stanford’s new Navigate Enrollment.
Explore scheduling and course pathway guidance using our 4-year Plans.
Petition requests need written pre-approval and after review via our Design: Petition form.
Propose Domain courses for pre-approval via our Design: Domain Course Proposal Form.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
Bachelor of Science (BS) Design students will develop a strong foundation in human-centered design abilities and the mathematics, science, and engineering concepts needed to support it. Courses in the Design Core sequence draw on the behavioral and social sciences in addition to multiple disciplines within engineering. They foreground ethics, implications, and understanding of design history and justice. Students then select two focus areas: a Methods Depth and a Domain Focus. Methods Depth areas allow students to choose a set of mediums of making to explore more fully. Domain Focus areas enable students to explore challenges in a different field where designers can have an impact, and where we observe increasing academic and professional opportunities for students and alumni equipped with interdisciplinary skills and awareness. In their Capstone Projects, students learn to scope and execute design work that integrates their chosen methods and domain depths.
Version: Use a Design program sheet from a year you were enrolled at Stanford.
Distinct: All major courses must be under only one category; no double-counting.
Grades: All major courses must be taken for a letter grade if offered.
GPA: Minimum for all major courses combined is 2.0.
Completion: All requirements must be at 100% in MAP to be eligible for conferring this degree.
Exceptions: Any request needs to receive written pre-approval, and only after committee review via the petition process.
Enrollment: Plan ahead as some classes may have prerequisites or space constraints which can impact the quarter of your intended enrollment.
School of Engineering (SoE) breadth is a set of defined subjects that provide students with a well-rounded education in the Engineering field. Students will gain a foundation in critical topics for being an engineer including Mathematics, Sciences, Technology in Society, and Engineering Fundamentals. Students should pay attention to key class and note stipulations.
A) 20 units minimum is required for students pursuing the (Physical Design and Manufacturing Methods Track) and (AI + Digital User Experience Methods Track).
B) 15 units minimum is required for students pursuing (Human Behavior Methods Track).
C) (MATH 19), (MATH 20), and 6 units of Mathematics can be waived only if you receive a grade of C or better in (MATH 21). The course waiver automatically is made on a student’s My Academic Path (MAP) page, but you must ask the Design Student Services Officer to manually waive the associated units in the Mathematics section.
D) MATH 21 needs to be taken either at Stanford or with the equivalent transfer work. Students can replace the (MATH 21) requirement if they take a class that makes substantial use of the concepts in (MATH 21) while also receiving a grade of C or better: (MATH 53), (MATH 106), (MATH 115), or (CME 102).
E) AP Credit: A score of 5 on the (AP Calculus BC test) is equivalent to (MATH 19), (MATH 20), (MATH 21) and gives students 10 units towards Mathematics. A score of 4 on (AP Calculus BC test) or 5 on the (AP Calculus AB test) is equivalent to only (MATH 19) and (MATH 20) and gives students only 6 units towards Mathematics. The AP substitution, and units, is made automatically on a student’s My Academic Path (MAP) page.
G) MATH 51 / CME 100: Taking (MATH 51) or (CME 100) is only required for students pursuing the (Physical Design + Manufacturing Methods track) or (AI + Digital User Experience Methods track). Students pursuing the (Human Behavior Methods Track) do not need to take (MATH 51) or (CME 100).
Behavioral Sciences draws on the social sciences to study human behavior. Design students are required to take one Behavioral Science course (PSYCH 1).
A) PSYCH 1 is the required PSYCH behavioral science class option for this requirement category. No other (PSYCH) or (PSYC) class is allowed.
A) Choose options only from the allowed School of Engineering list of approved (Mathematics) and/or (Science) courses.
B) Quantity of courses may vary in this section based on the remaining units needed to reach the combined requirements of 30 units total between 1) Mathematics and 2) Additional SoE Math and Science Coursework categories.
C) PHYSICS 41 is only required for students in the (Physical Design + Manufacturing Methods Track). Students taking PHYSICS 41 may choose between PHYSICS 41 or PHYSICS 41E. However, both classes cannot be taken to go towards the major.
D) CS 103 and CS 109 are recommended for students pursuing the (AI + Digital User Experience Methods Track).
E) ACE courses are encouraged for students that seek additional support with taking MATH or CS courses. However, the credit for ACE classes may not count towards the major unit minimum requirements. It can, however, count towards the undergraduate requirement of 180 units.
F) If MATH 51 and CME 100 are both taken, only 8 units of credit will be allowed towards the Design major program due to overlapping material.
G) More advanced Mathematics or Statistics courses may be considered, but requires approval via the petition process to deviate and with approval communicated from committee review.
All undergraduate engineering majors must take one course devoted to exploring ethical and social issues and responsibilities arising from the interplay of engineering, technology, and society.
A) ENERGY 177A and ENERGY 177B must both be taken, and for 3 units each, to fulfill Technology in Society.
B) NBIO 101 is by application only, and must be taken for 3 units and a letter grade to fulfill Technology in Society.
The Engineering Fundamentals requirement is satisfied by a set of technically rigorous introductory courses chosen from the various engineering disciplines. First, they provide a breadth of knowledge about some of the major fields within engineering. Second, they furnish students with an opportunity to explore a number of engineering topics before embarking on a specific engineering major. Third, the individual classes each offer a reasonably deep insight into a contemporary technological subject for the interested non-engineer. Engineering majors must complete a minimum of two Engineering Fundamentals courses
A) ENGR 14 is only required for students pursuing (Physical Design + Manufacturing Methods Track).
B) CS 106A is only required for students pursuing (AI + Digital User Experience Methods Track).
C) Only CS 106A or CS 106B may count towards Engineering fundamentals.
D) CS 106M is a companion course to CS 106B, for 1 unit, but may not count as a standalone course fulfilling Engineering Fundamentals.
The Design Core are signature courses to our major program. It consists of defined classes where students will learn, work, collaborate, and cultivate skills among their design peers. Each course has its own learning outcomes and priorities. It is an integrated sequence that delves into topics of needfinding, user research, expressing ideas visually, rapid prototyping across media, building to think business factors, and storytelling (among other subjects). A key component to all our core classes is the ethics and implications of producing design work.
A) DESIGN 151 is a class highly recommended for Design majors to take, but is no longer a required core class beginning AY26. Students that take the class can have the units go towards the required 180 minimum.
B) DESIGN 160R is a required one-unit advisory class to be taken junior year.
A) DESIGN 172 and DESIGN 173 must both be taken to fulfill the visual expression elective requirement.
A Domain Focus Area is a unique opportunity for students to immerse in a field that they are curious about or motivated by. They can apply their design abilities within a specific context, and emerge having a changed perspective. Each of the domain sphere options is saturated with wicked problems where design work is useful and needed. To fulfill a Domain, you will pursue a “pathway” consisting of a three-course sequence or cluster. One class must be from [List A], while two must be from the [List B] of your chosen Domain. You should plan your Domain work and classes with the guidance of a d.school Domain Co-Lead. Students choose one of four Domain Focus Areas listed below.
[1] Designing for the Planet — A domain sphere including Climate, Environment, Oceans, and Energy (and more). Gain knowledge around environmental problem solving at macro and micro scales, on all corners of our planet.
[2] Designing for Biological Futures — A domain sphere including Living Matter and Synthetic Biology (and more). Learn about biofutures and explore the possibilities of building with biology.
[3] Designing for Health — A domain sphere including Healthcare & Health Technology Innovation (and more). Investigate domestic and global governance and their intersection with development, economics, and a more equitable society.
[4] Designing for Social Impact — A domain sphere including Global Development, Social Systems, Social Inequity (and more). Gain understanding in anatomy, physiology, healthcare systems, and health technology while exploring a new era of personalized, accessible, and patient-centered care.
Students are required to complete a total of 3 courses from within 1 of 4 Domain Focus Areas.
Chosen domains and associated courses must be on the approved list in the year taken or with the approval of the student's academic advisor.
The following courses explore climate , the environment, and human Interactions.
The following courses explore planetary health, sustainable societies, energy systems, and the biophysical world.
The following courses explore oceans, ecology, or biological change.
The following courses explore marine conservation and management.
The following courses explore bioengineering and ecology.
The following courses explore building with biology.
The following courses explore anatomy and physiology.
The following courses explore design for health and health technology innovation.
The following courses explore political economy and development economics.
A Methods Depth lets students take classes across the university to sharpen making skills, abilities, and gain professional fluency. Within each method you will take four classes with a focus on foundational understanding and application. Students choose one of three Method Depths tracks listed below.
[1] Physical Design + Manufacturing — Methods range from classes on materials and mechanisms (to understand what is possible with physical design) to manufacturing processes and supply chain logistics (to understand how physical design is implemented).
[2] AI + Digital User Experience — Methods range from foundational programming methodologies and human-computer interaction classes to applied courses on digital prototyping, user experience design, and incorporating AI and data science.
[3] Human Behavior + Multi-stakeholder Research — Methods span qualitative and quantitative approaches to better understand people – who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Classes focus on communication, data science, and psychology to help understand how to design for the human experience.
A) Prerequisites: The following may be prerequisites for these Method classes. All are also expected to be taken in the SoE Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Fundamentals categories for (Physical Form + Manufacturing Methods Track):
Engr Fundamental - E14 |
Math -CME 100 / Math 51 |
Science - Physics 41 |
A) Prerequisites: The following may be prerequisites for these Method classes. All are also expected to be taken in the SoE Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Fundamentals categories for the (Physical Form + Manufacturing Methods Track). They may include others (please consult course-specific prerequisites):
Engineering Fundamental - CS106a |
Math - Math 51/CME 100, (CS 103, 109 recommended) |
For their Capstone, students will scope and execute design work that integrates and draws upon what they’ve learned across their methods depth and potentially their domain focus area. Students will choose from two available Capstone sequences.