Segal Design Institute

What Segal Design Institute does

Segal Design Institute is an academic unit within Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering, founded in 2007 and headquartered at the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center on Northwestern's Evanston, Illinois campus. The institute delivers design innovation education through a portfolio of programs spanning undergraduate (BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering, or MaDE; Design Thinking and Communication, or DTC; Segal Design Certificate), graduate (MS in Engineering Design Innovation, or EDI; Master of Product Design and Development Management, or mpd²), and dual-degree (MMM combining a Kellogg MBA with an MS in Design Innovation). Its pedagogy is built on a human-centered design methodology integrating empathy, user observation, visualization, prototyping, and iteration, supported by dedicated facilities including the Corner Makery and the Prototyping and Fabrication Lab (The Shop).

The institute generates revenue primarily through Northwestern tuition structures for its undergraduate and graduate programs, with secondary income from corporate project partnerships where organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Harley-Davidson, Feeding America, and NorthShore University HealthSystem sponsor student design challenges, and from Segal Design Certificate fees for non-McCormick students and continuing-education participants. It markets through Northwestern's institutional channels supplemented by program-specific outreach (information sessions, social media on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, alumni referrals, and corporate partner networks), and distributes programs via Northwestern's centralized admissions, professional and continuing education with Friday/Saturday class schedules for working professionals, and a global Coursera MOOC titled 'Leadership Through Design Innovation.'

Customer segments divide between undergraduate students seeking practical design skills, graduate students pursuing design leadership careers, working professionals seeking continuing education, and corporate partners seeking access to design talent and human-centered innovation consulting. Notable alumni include Harley-Davidson President and CEO Matthew Levatich (MMM '09), and graduates place at Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, P&G, IDEO, 3M, United Airlines, Abbott, and Milwaukee Tool, with reported graduate employment rates exceeding 80% in design, technology, and innovation roles.

Name

Segal Design Institute

Legal name

Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University

Website

https://design.northwestern.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Segal Design Institute is an academic unit within Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering that delivers undergraduate, graduate, dual-degree, and certificate programs in human-centered design innovation, serving students and corporate partners through tuition-funded programs, design certificates, and project-based corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Education

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Design education programs
• Engineering design innovation
• Human-centered design
• Product design management
• Academic design research

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academic Tuition: Revenue generated through undergraduate and graduate degree program tuition from Northwestern University, including BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering (MaDE), MS in Engineering Design Innovation (EDI), Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd²), and MMM dual-degree program.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Project partnerships with organizations including P&G, Harley-Davidson, Feeding America, NorthShore University Health System where companies sponsor student projects and provide real-world design challenges.
3. Design Certificate Programs: Revenue from Segal Design Certificate programs for non-McCormick students and continuing education participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Segal Design Institute is an academic unit within Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering that delivers design education programs across undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. It offers degree programs (BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering/MaDE, MS in Engineering Design Innovation/EDI, Master of Product Design & Development Management/mpd², and the MMM dual-degree with Kellogg), a Segal Design Certificate for non-McCormick students, and individual courses such as Design Thinking and Communication. Students learn through project-based learning partnered with corporate sponsors including P&G, Harley-Davidson, 3M, Feeding America, and NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Product overview

Segal Design Institute offers a portfolio of academic programs and courses focused on design innovation and human-centered design. The core offerings include undergraduate programs (Design Thinking and Communication, Segal Design Certificate, BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering/MaDE), graduate degree programs (Engineering Design Innovation/EDI, Master of Product Design & Development Management/mpd², and the MMM dual-degree with Kellogg), and continuing education courses. These programs collectively provide design education spanning from foundational skills to advanced professional practice, integrating design thinking methodologies with engineering, business, and technology disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering (MaDE)

Quantifiable outcome

• Student projects reduce product development errors (e.g., Well Plate Assembly reduced failed wells by factor of 3.5)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Northwestern MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare design innovation partnerships including internship placements and collaborative projects. EDI alumna Bea Alessio leads product strategy for Google DeepMind, and alumni work across healthcare design roles at organizations like Kaiser Permanente Design Consultancy.
• NorthShore University HealthSystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. John Finan at NorthShore's Department of Neurosurgery partnered with Northwestern students in DSGN 384: Interdisciplinary Design Projects to design a method for pre-tensioning silicone sheets for 96 well plate assemblies used in traumatic brain injury research.
• Procter & GamblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing project partnerships including Tide Spin design collaboration and Design Strategy course collaborations. Multiple EDI students have completed internships at P&G Ventures.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDI students in Service Design course developed new strategies for food rescue distribution from retail stores to food-insecure communities. EDI student Monica Garcia completed summer internship at Feeding America.
• Shedd AquariumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent project partnerships including GastroPops project addressing queen conch conservation through alternative seafood product design.
• Harley-Davidson Motor CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMMM Business Innovation Lab partnerships where students work on real product challenges. MMM alumnus Matthew Levatich (Class of 2009) serves as President and CEO of Harley-Davidson.
• Kellogg School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management of MMM dual-degree program combining Kellogg MBA with MS in Design Innovation from McCormick School of Engineering.
• Ford Motor CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFord Motor Company Engineering Design Center houses Segal Design Institute facilities. Named sponsorship of design center and ongoing student project opportunities.
• City of ChicagomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDI students collaborated with the City of Chicago to explore civic service design and help validate Chicago's new visual identity and design system.
• 3McoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign Strategy course partnerships and alumni employment pipeline. EDI alumna Amelia Fish works as Senior User Experience Designer at 3M.
• Design for AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent group collaboration on design innovation projects and community engagement, including Studio collaboration at LF Studios for animatronic characters.
• Milwaukee ToolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple EDI graduates work at Milwaukee Tool helping create innovative tools and worksite solutions. Students mentored by alumni during summer internships.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MIT Media Lab: MIT Media Lab is a broader, research-oriented design-and-technology lab at a top engineering university; it overlaps with Segal on human-centered design methodology and corporate-sponsored student projects but operates at a much larger scale.

Others

• IDEO: IDEO is a global design consultancy that frequently hires Segal alumni and serves as a corporate partner; it represents the practitioner destination for Segal graduates rather than a direct academic competitor, but it influences curriculum and employer expectations.
• IIT Institute of Design (Illinois Institute of Technology):

Direct peers

• ArtCenter College of Design: ArtCenter is a top U.S. private design school with strong product and transportation design programs that compete with Segal's MaDE and mpd² for technically inclined design students seeking industry-linked careers.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): Parsons is a major U.S. design college offering product, service, and strategic design programs at undergraduate and graduate levels, comparable to Segal in curriculum breadth and corporate partner engagement.
• Carnegie Mellon School of Design: Carnegie Mellon's School of Design offers undergraduate and graduate design degrees with strong product, interaction, and design-research focus, making it one of the top technical university-based alternatives to Segal's engineering-anchored offerings.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): RISD is a leading standalone design college that competes with Segal's MaDE and EDI programs for design-minded undergraduates and graduates seeking human-centered, project-based design education with strong industry placement.
• Pratt Institute School of Design: Pratt offers undergraduate and graduate industrial, product, and communication design programs with a similar industry-partnership model; it competes with Segal in the Northeast for design-as-strategy candidates.
• University of Cincinnati DAAP: UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning is a long-standing university-anchored design school with strong co-op and industry placement, comparable to Segal's McCormick-based engineering-plus-design positioning.
• Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (Stanford d.school): Stanford's design school is the most cited direct peer to Segal: both are university-anchored design institutes offering interdisciplinary human-centered design courses, certificates, and graduate programs, and both compete for the same design-innovation candidate pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/segaldesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/SegalDesignInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/87149/profile
• Instagraminstagram.com/segaldesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Segal Design Institute