The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation is UC Berkeley’s interdisciplinary hub for learning and making at the intersection of design and technology. We see design and technological innovation as integrally linked: innovation opens possibilities and extends the reach of design, while design links new technologies with human experiences and ensures that innovation truly benefits people and communities. Bringing together technical depth, design methodology, and a focus on societal impact, we aim to educate students who understand both the under-the-hood details that make something work and the big-picture context that makes something matter.
At the Jacobs Institute, technological breakthroughs commingle with Berkeley’s deep academic strengths and consistent focus on social good, uniquely equipping students to tackle the pressing challenges of today and tomorrow. From our home in Berkeley’s College of Engineering, we extend broadly across campus, serving as a welcoming hub: here, engineers, artists, and makers of all kinds can gather and collaborate. In a space designed to mix students of different disciplines, expertise levels, and modes of engagement, we provide a range of opportunities for hands-on, team-based learning, from courses to independent tinkering and co-curricular offerings.
As the Jacobs Institute grows, we are committed to ensuring all students at UC Berkeley have access to the resources at Jacobs Hall, from courses and Maker Passes, to co-curricular programs and mentorship. We strive to make Jacobs Hall and our affiliated programs inclusive spaces, where resources and ideas are shared equitably. We acknowledge and embrace the continued work that is needed to meet this goal.
Here are some fast-facts about the student diversity at Jacobs Hall, based on the student enrollment in our DES INV courses and the number of Maker Pass holders. This data was taken from Spring 2021, when campus was still closed due to COVID-19. The numbers pulled for the Maker Pass demographics were collected from JPS enrollment numbers. JPS, Jacobs Project Support, is a DEI initiative created to ensure student success during campus closure by offering remote printing services to all students and faculty. We have continued this program despite our Makerspaces’s reopening to encourage more students across campus to participate in making at Jacobs.
FALL 2022 DATA:
| Design Courses (DES INV) & DeCals | JPS & Maker Pass Users |
| 583 students in DES INV courses and DeCals | 630 total JPS & Maker Pass users |
| 63% identify as women | 40% identify as women |
| 2% are Black | 3.5% are Black |
| 12% are Chicanx + Latinx | 15% are Chicanx + Latinx |
| 22% are International Students | 17% are International Students |
| Disciplinary Diversity: 27% from Engineering 63% from Letters & Sciences 5% from Environmental Design 5% Other |
Disciplinary Diversity: 71% from Engineering 18% from Letters & Sciences 5% from Environmental Design 6% Other |
For comparison, please consult the data from UC Berkeley and the College of Engineering.
Jacobs Hall, opened in August 2015, is the Jacobs Institute’s home and a place for diverse design activity. The 24,000-square-foot building’s light-filled design studios and equipment labs offer flexible space and access to tools for prototyping, iteration, and fabrication. From sketching to cutting-edge digital fabrication, the building facilitates a diverse range of making practices under one roof.
The Jacobs Institute’s programs provide numerous ways to dive into design innovation, in the classroom and beyond. We offer and support hands-on, design-infused courses. We produce community and co-curricular offerings, from speaker series to workshops, that promote conversation and exploration across broad areas of design. We also help support and amplify the campus design ecosystem, connecting Berkeley’s community of student designers with resources and opportunities.