Experience Design

You create the wow factor.

NOTE: This program is no longer enrolling new students.

Our program gets you started with a hands-on learning approach to the methods used in experience design. We emphasize the importance of practical, real-world experience as we work closely with clientele through our full-service, student-run agency – The Imagination Emporium.

Advantages

Through interactive classes and applied learning opportunities, our students make the most out of the many strengths this program offers:

  • Only experience design undergraduate program in the Midwest
  • Small class sizes enable you to learn and interact closely with professors and other students
  • Faculty-student collaboration, academic research and conference presentation opportunities
  • Classes apply experience design techniques to real-world scenarios
  • The Imagination Emporium, the student-run agency, collaborates with community clients, extending your opportunity for experiential learning
  • Team-based projects prepare you to enter any work environment
  • Strong relationships with organizations and access to industry connections can help connect you with career opportunities after graduation
  • Robust connection with alumni to leverage networking opportunities for new graduates

Project-based courses

  • Applied learning courses give you real-world experience with clients on goal-oriented projects
  • The intro class (EXD 101) provides a foundation for researching, designing and implementing an on-campus experience
  • The Special Topics course (EXD 480) studies specific themes that change each semester
  • In the Senior Capstone Course (EXD 490), you'll create your own experience to submit to your senior portfolio
  • Courses develop skills in construction methods, scale modeling, experiential marketing, project management and experience mapping
  • Research experience (EXD 382) provides students with the opportunity to conduct detailed research on a project of their own choosing or departmentally-focused projects.

Potential Career Paths

Experience design professionals work in various settings and environments, each having different overall goals. You might find a career in brand engagement, entertainment industries, telling stories, or designing themed attractions, museum exhibits, events and parties.

  • Immersive venue/environment design
  • Event design
  • Gaming/gamification
  • Academic research methods
  • Fabrication
  • Educational public outreach
  • Cultural heritage experiences
  • Creative problem solving
  • Customer experience/experience mapping
  • Performance

Experience design might be for you if:

  • You’re a creative and social person
  • You enjoy hands-on learning
  • You wish to design exhibits, events and themed attractions
  • You enjoy working in collaborative teams
  • You’re a creative problem-solver
  • You’re curious and self-reflective
  • You’re able to read trends
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