
Transportation Design
Graduates of the Transportation Design program are innovators, in automotive design and all aspects of mobility, always with an eye toward the future.
The Program
In this program, students are invited to assume the role of “designer as inventor,” as they are led through a complete design process that includes extensive research, sketching and 3D rendering, animation, core competencies analysis, and more. Special projects explore innovation through forms and materials, functionality, and engineering. Students apply to this understanding a real-world strategy that includes business practices, research, brand identity, vehicle architecture, and mobility as a system.
The Transportation Design graduate program is currently a STEM-designated program. New international students completing this program will qualify to apply for the STEM OPT (optional practical training) Extension.
Degrees Offered

The CCS Transportation Design studios and labs are in the very place where Harley Earl, the first modern automotive designer, and other pioneers created groundbreaking vehicles—and where today’s industry leaders seek top talent. Design competitions, internships, and sponsored projects from the Big Three and Tier 1 and 2 suppliers open doors for graduate placement at every major car manufacturer and nearly all the Tier 1 auto suppliers, at racing and defense companies like Pratt & Miller, and at firms as far away as Vietnam and Abu Dhabi.
Facilities
Our curriculum is led by faculty who understand what it takes to succeed in the design industry because they have been or currently are successful industry practitioners and leaders. Students learn not only to become critical thinkers and strategic designers but to be professionals because creative talent and execution skills alone do not guarantee career advancement or entrepreneurial success. Students are taught to work effectively in teams both as leaders and as team peers. They cope with the real stresses of deadlines and uncertainties, both within and outside of their control. They learn to champion their ideas through formal presentations and rigorous critiques led by industry professionals who are in positions to recruit and hire promising talent.
Featured Alumni

Spencer Chamberlain
Creative Designer
General Motors

Nikunj Jain
Vehicle Experience Designer / Marketing Analyst
Tata Technologies
Xaoyin Li
Freelance Auto/Product Designer

Dirk Wan
Junior Interior / Exterior Designer
Karma

Lei Zhang
Advanced User Experience Designer
Chrysler
Join the Evolution
CCS prepares students to enter a global economy in which creativity shapes better communities and societies. Here, creative minds can both explore and thrive. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world.
In The News

CCS Alumna Leads First Sea Ray Boat Designed by All-Female Team

CCS to Host International Art, Design and Research Conference in Detroit

Transportation Design Alum Becomes The Global Winner of Magna 2021 Global Bold Perspective Award

College for Creative Studies Introduces Reinvisioned and Forward-Thinking Graduate Programs
New advanced, STEM-designated, studio-based degree programs look to the future of design, climate and education.