Institute of Design (ID)

What Institute of Design (ID) does

Institute of Design (ID) is the graduate design school of Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), based at the Kaplan Institute on South Federal Street in Chicago. Founded in 1937 by Bauhaus master László Moholy-Nagy as The New Bauhaus, ID is the only U.S. design school devoted exclusively to graduate study. It offers a portfolio of graduate programs built around human-centered design, systems-based design, and holistic design methodology, including the Master of Design (MDes), dual degrees combining the MDes with an MBA (Stuart School of Business) or MPA, a Master of Science in Strategic Design Leadership (formerly MDes Methods), and a PhD in Design. Programs enroll mid-career professionals from design and non-design backgrounds (engineers, architects, business professionals).

ID monetizes through three streams: tuition for the graduate degree programs, the Executive Academy which delivers asynchronous online team-based training to organizations, and corporate partnerships including Action Labs project engagements and PhD corporate partnerships. Beyond credentials, ID operates named research initiatives — the Equitable Healthcare Lab, Food Systems Lab, and Net Positive Behavior Lab — that partner with healthcare systems (UChicago Medicine, San Francisco DPH), government bodies (City of Chicago, National Center for State Courts), and enterprises (Steelcase, Microsoft, Waymo) on systemic challenges. Distribution reaches learners and partners through direct enrollment, corporate training, public events (Shapeshift Summit, Lucas J. Daniel Series), the With Intent podcast, and a Google Arts & Culture digital exhibit.

The institution is led by Dean Anijo Mathew with an Associate Dean for Academics (Matt Mayfield, since 2017) and an Assistant Dean for Content (Kristin Gecan). It generates no external shareholders, has no venture funding, and has no public financial disclosures, operating as a non-profit academic unit within Illinois Tech's governance structure.

Name

Institute of Design (ID)

Legal name

Illinois Institute of Technology - Institute of Design (ID)

Website

https://id.iit.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Tech is the only U.S. graduate-only design school, founded in 1937 as The New Bauhaus, offering master's, dual-degree, and doctoral programs in human-centered and systems-based design, plus Executive Academy corporate training and Action Labs applied research for healthcare, civic, and enterprise partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Design Education

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA), Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE) (EDAAALAG)

Keywords

• Graduate design education
• Design methodology
• Human-centered design
• Systems design
• Executive design training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Graduate Education Tuition: Revenue from tuition for graduate degree programs including Master of Design, Master of Design + MBA dual degree, Master of Design + MPA dual degree, Master of Science in Strategic Design Leadership, and PhD in Design.
2. Executive Academy Programs: Professional education and training programs for organizations provided through asynchronous, online team-oriented courses.
3. Corporate Partnerships: PhD Corporate Partnerships and custom project engagements through Action Labs with organizations seeking design solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Institute of Design (ID) is the only U.S. design school devoted exclusively to graduate study, offering graduate degree programs (MDes, MDes+MBA, MDes+MPA, MS in Strategic Design Leadership, PhD in Design) grounded in human-centered, systems-based, and holistic design methodologies. For organizations, ID provides the Executive Academy for professional design training and Action Labs (Equitable Healthcare, Food Systems, Net Positive Behavior) for applied research partnerships addressing systemic challenges.

Product overview

Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Tech is a graduate school exclusively devoted to design education, offering a portfolio of degree programs and professional offerings. The core academic products include the Master of Design (MDes), dual-degree programs combining design with MBA or MPA, a Master of Science in Strategic Design Leadership, and a PhD in Design. These programs are grounded in human-centered design, systems-based design, and holistic design methodologies pioneered at ID. Beyond degree programs, ID operates the Executive Academy for organizational training and Action Labs (including Equitable Healthcare Lab, Food Systems Lab, and Net Positive Behavior Lab) for applied research partnerships. The institution also produces the With Intent podcast and hosts the Latham Fellowship for design leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of Design (MDes) A rigorous graduate degree program that expands the tenets and applications of human-centered design, systems-based design, and holistic design for professionals seeking to build new ways forward in any industry.
• Master of Design + MBA Dual Degree A pioneering dual-degree partnership with Stuart School of Business that shapes design leadership by combining design methodology with business strategy.
• Master of Design + MPA Dual Degree A dual-degree program combining design methodology with public administration for professionals addressing complex societal challenges.
• Master of Science in Strategic Design Leadership A graduate program (formerly Master of Design Methods) focused on strategic design leadership and applying design thinking to organizational transformation.
• PhD in Design Doctoral research program in design for scholars advancing knowledge in design research and practice.
• Executive Academy Asynchronous, online team-oriented professional education and training courses for organizations to help meet change and face the future with a plan for success.
• Action Labs Partnership programs with organizations to uncover solutions to pressing issues in cities, education, finance, food, healthcare, and technology, including the Equitable Healthcare Lab, Food Systems Lab, and Net Positive Behavior Lab.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ papers disseminated by ID faculty and students in 2025-26
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New European BauhauscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 April 2021ID is the only North American partner in the New European Bauhaus initiative, developed to help the EU achieve its Europe Green Deal goals. Faculty Director Carlos Teixeira facilitates workshops at conferences and ID contributes expertise in systems design and participatory processes to the initiative aimed at making Europe climate-neutral by 2050.
• Google Arts & CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2020Partnership for the Bauhaus Everywhere digital project featuring artifacts, photos, and documents from ID's early days. ID contributed to an online exhibition called 'Founding an American Bauhaus' showcasing László Moholy-Nagy's establishment of the design school in Chicago.
• mediaID (Student Group)minorOthers · 17 June 2019Student organization that produced the Bauhaus newsletter in 2019 as part of celebrating the Bauhaus centenary, with content written, photographed, designed, and curated by students.
• National Center for State Courts (NCSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2001Partnership to examine court processes and recommend modifications to eliminate procedural barriers for self-represented litigants. NCSC organized the collaboration with ID and Chicago-Kent College of Law to address civil justice reform.
• Chicago-Kent College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2001Academic partnership with ID and NCSC for the Access to Justice project, examining court processes and recommending modifications to improve access for self-represented litigants through Internet-based software prototypes.
• UChicago MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through ID's Equitable Healthcare Lab on the Patient-Paced Discharge Education project, focusing on improving postpartum discharge processes at UChicago Medicine Family Birthing Center.
• SteelcaseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing student project collaboration with Steelcase's research group, providing students exposure to corporate research environments and industry design challenges.
• Goethe-Institut ChicagominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the student-produced Bauhaus newsletter in 2019 celebrating the centenary of the Bauhaus founding.
• Design ObservercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for the 'Design As' podcast series, with episodes recorded at ID's Shapeshift Summit. Design Observer is a leading design media publication featuring ID content in their podcast channel.
• Illinois Tech Paul V. Galvin Library ArchivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchives collaboration providing historical materials, course catalogs, and photographs for The New Bauhaus documentary and ID's historical exhibits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cranbrook Academy of Art: Cranbrook is a graduate-only design school with a strong studio-based residency model and historical Bauhaus influences. Comparable to ID in graduate-only positioning, design heritage, and small specialist school character, though more craft-oriented versus ID's systems orientation.
• ArtCenter College of Design: ArtCenter offers graduate programs in industrial design, graphic design, and media design with strong industry ties, especially to automotive and consumer products. Comparable to ID in graduate design education, product design emphasis, and corporate engagement model.
• Royal College of Art (RCA): RCA is a globally leading graduate-only design institution based in London. Highly comparable to ID in graduate-only positioning, international reputation, and design research orientation, providing a benchmark for ID's potential international expansion and pricing.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): Parsons is a major U.S. design school offering graduate degrees in design with a similarly systems- and practice-oriented approach. Comparable to ID in target audience (career-transitioning professionals), graduate program portfolio, and New York urban anchor, though it operates within The New School rather than as a graduate-only school.
• Carnegie Mellon School of Design: CMU's School of Design offers graduate programs with a strong systems and research orientation, similar to ID's human-centered and systems-based methodology. Comparable to ID in graduate-only graduate portfolio positioning, systems design emphasis, and interdisciplinary research orientation.
• Pratt Institute School of Design: Pratt's School of Design offers graduate programs in industrial design, communication design, and packaging design. Comparable to ID in graduate design education portfolio, NYC metro-area presence, and industry reputation, with similar emphasis on professional preparation.
• School of Visual Arts (SVA): SVA offers graduate design programs with a New York base and strong industry connections. Comparable to ID in graduate-level design education, professional orientation, and urban location, though broader in scope than ID's exclusive graduate-only positioning.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): RISD is one of the most prominent U.S. design colleges offering graduate programs in industrial design, graphic design, and related fields. Comparable to ID in graduate design education, prestige, and alumni outcomes, though RISD serves both undergraduate and graduate students whereas ID is graduate-only.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy that popularized 'design thinking' as a corporate training offering (IDEO U). Comparable to ID in teaching human-centered design methodology and competing for the same enterprise training and Action Labs-style engagements via IDEO U.
• Stanford Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school): Stanford's d.school is a broader institution-wide design program rather than a standalone school, but operates as a major hub for design thinking methodology and graduate design education. Comparable to ID's Action Labs in applying design to systemic challenges (healthcare, education) and in the design leadership space, though embedded in a much larger university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/idillinoistech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-institute-of-technology
• Instagraminstagram.com/iitdesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Design (ID)