Architecture + Design is RISD’s largest division in terms of enrollment, with both undergraduate and graduate students majoring in seven departments: Apparel Design, Architecture, Furniture Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Although the majors and degree programs in the division may be understood as related under the larger nomenclature of the ‘visual arts’ or under the rubric of ‘design,’ they represent seven distinct disciplines with unique histories, methods and professional practices.

As a design and architecture collective, each discipline in the division retains an individual, unique status as a professional degree program, recognized by national accreditation boards such as the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD); the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC); the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB); and the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB).

Departments included in the Architecture + Design Division:

In addition, the Division oversees one interdisciplinary program:
Master of Arts in Design Engineering (MADE)