SRM Institute of Science and Technology: School of Design

SRM Institute of Science and Technology was established in 1985 and has grown into one of India's largest private universities with campuses across Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh. The main campus at Kattankulathur near Chennai is the flagship location, set on a large campus with extensive infrastructure supporting engineering, medicine, management, law, and design programmes. The NIRF rank 7 overall and NAAC A++ accreditation reflect the institution's broad academic standing.

The B.Des programme is housed within SRM's School of Design and offers specialisations in industrial design, communication design, interaction design, and product design. The curriculum is structured across eight semesters, combining studio practice with design theory, technology courses, and professional development. Students have access to SRM's wider engineering facilities including fabrication labs, electronics workshops, and computing infrastructure, which supports design-engineering integration projects.

Chennai's industrial character shapes the design education at SRM in practical ways. The city is a major centre for automobile manufacturing, electronics, and information technology. This industrial ecosystem creates strong internship opportunities for design students interested in product development, automotive design, and manufacturing-oriented design work. Students regularly work on live projects with industry partners during their degree.

Faculty at SRM's design school include practitioners and researchers with backgrounds across industrial design, visual communication, and digital media. SRM's broad institutional infrastructure means design students have access to visiting faculty and industry experts from engineering and technology backgrounds, enriching the design-engineering dialogue within the programme. Research culture is growing at SRM, and students interested in design research have access to postgraduate supervision at the M.Des level.

Campus life at SRM is large-scale and energetic. The Kattankulathur campus has extensive student housing, sports facilities, cultural events, and clubs. The sheer size of the student community means design students interact daily with peers from engineering, medicine, and management, creating a multidisciplinary social environment. Chennai itself is a culturally rich city with a strong classical arts tradition, a thriving contemporary arts scene, and excellent access to Tamil Nadu's craft and handloom heritage.

Placement support at SRM is well-developed, drawing on the institution's long-standing industry relationships built primarily through its engineering programmes. Design graduates have taken roles at product companies, digital agencies, and manufacturing firms. The SRM alumni network spans many industries and geographies, and the institution's reputation in South India is strong. Students who want a design education within a technology-rich, multidisciplinary university with a strong engineering ethos and good industry connections in South India will find SRM a solid option.