Product Design

Beautiful solutions to difficult problems
KCAI is offering a new kind of product design program for the 21st century – informed by industry, appealing to a new generation of students and relevant for today’s design-conscious world.
Product Design students will imagine, invent and make objects that creatively respond to global challenges. The program will prepare future designers to be agents of change through the objects, systems and businesses they create. At the core of this program is the KCAI Product Design Incubator Hub, which is a launch pad and collaboration space that provides designers with resources to transform ideas into successful products and businesses. Students will learn entrepreneurial skills and business acumen to inform their product ventures. They will have access to courses in entrepreneurship taught by faculty from the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Classes
Once you declare your major, Product Design students take the following core courses as they progress from sophomore to senior year. For additional electives and liberal arts courses, download the complete Course Catalog.
Product Design Major Requirements

Sophomore
- DesignSpace 1
- Rapid Prototyping
- DesignSpace 2
- Model-Making
Junior
- DesignSpace 3
- Materials & Manufacturing Processes
- DesignSpace 4
Senior
- DesignSpace 5
- Professional Pratice
- DesignSpace 6
- Design Entrepreneurship
DesignSpace
DesignSpace is a studio for designers– a maker space for exploration and experimentation, and a space for innovative thinking, learning and collaborating. The DesignSpace series is a unique approach to structuring major studios. Each DesignSpace is informed by three defining elements; product design concepts; exploration and experimentation of materials and production methods; and use of emerging technologies. DesignSpaces (1–6) is facilitated by Product Design faculty and will engage interdisciplinary faculty and industry professionals as workshop mentors.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Kansas City is home to internationally recognized, leading product design companies, such as Cerner, Garmin, Populous and Dimensional Innovations, who will provide a variety of local internship and mentorship opportunities for students.

PRODUCT DESIGN INCUBATOR HUB
The KCAI Product Design Incubator is an accelerator lab open to senior Product Design majors and alumni to provide support, mentorship and facilities needed to further develop design ideas and prepare them for real-world application.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION
A truly unique collaboration between KCAI and UMKC’s Regnier Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation will provide students with access to entrepreneurial business classes that will provide industry insights and business acumen for students to advance their product ideas. Through this collaboration, students will take these classes at no additional charge.