Course Listings

A range of courses take place in Jacobs Hall. The Jacobs Institute’s expert instructors offer interdisciplinary Design Innovation (DES INV) courses, which include both lower-division entry points to design skills and project-based capstone experiences. Jacobs Hall also hosts courses taught by faculty in a range of departments, as well as student-led DeCals that focus on design. These offerings contribute to a highly diverse, frequently evolving educational environment.

Fall 2026 courses are listed below. Looking for other academic information? To learn about courses taught in other semesters, visit the course archive. For questions about enrollment in DES INV courses, consult our course enrollment policies.

AEROENG 100 AEROSPACE CAPSTONE

This capstone course challenges students to integrate their aerospace knowledge to design, analyze and build a system for an aerospace mission. Students can choose to focus on astronautical satellite systems or aeronautical drone systems. The course covers topics including structures, materials and environments, orbital and flight mechanics, attitude determination, stability and control, aeronautical and astronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, communications, and systems engineering.

BIOENG 192 SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS

This semester-long course introduces students to bioengineering project-based learning in small teams, with a strong emphasis on need-based solutions for real medical and research problems through prototype solution selection, design, and testing. The course is designed to provide a “capstone” design experience for bioengineering seniors. The course is structured around didactic lectures and a textbook, from which assigned readings will be drawn, and supplemented by additional handouts, readings, and lecture material.

CE 186 DESIGN OF IOT FOR SMART CITIES

Hands-on engineering design experience for creating cyber-physical systems, or more colloquially, “internet-of-things (IoT) systems” for smart cities. Projects overlay a software layer onto physical infrastructure to produce one integrated system. Student teams will identify a challenge with current urban systems, e.g. mobility, energy & environment, water, waste, health, security, and the built environment. Student teams design and prototype an innovation that addresses this challenge using maker resources, e.g. 3D printing, laser cutters, and open-source electronics. The project will be executing via the “Design Sprint” process, which is popular in agile development and Silicon Valley. Students present projects to industry judges.

COMPSCI 160/260A USER INTERFACE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

The design, implementation, and evaluation of user interfaces. User-centered design and task analysis. Conceptual models and interface metaphors. Usability inspection and evaluation methods. Analysis of user study data. Input methods (keyboard, pointing, touch, tangible) and input models. Visual design principles. Interface prototyping and implementation methodologies and tools. Students will develop a user interface for a specific task and target user group in teams.

COMPSCI 260B HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION RESEARCH

This course is a broad introduction to conducting research in Human-Computer Interaction. Students will become familiar with seminal and recent literature; learn to review and critique research papers; re-implement and evaluate important existing systems; and gain experience in conducting research. Topics include input devices, computer-supported cooperative work, crowdsourcing, design tools, evaluation methods, search and mobile interfaces, usable security, help and tutorial systems.

DES INV 15 DESIGN METHODOLOGY

This introductory course aims to expose you to the mindset, skillset and toolset associated with design. It does so through guided applications to framing and solving problems in design, business and engineering. Specifically, you will learn approaches to noticing and observing, framing and reframing, imagining and designing, and experimenting and testing as well as for critique and reflection. You will also have a chance to apply those approaches in various sectors.

DES INV 21 VISUAL COMMUNICATION & SKETCHING

Good ideas alone are not the key to being a great designer or innovator. Rather, it is the strong process and communication skills that will make you stand out as a design practitioner and leader. In today’s landscape of product design and innovation, great visual communicators must know how to 1) effectively and confidently sketch by hand, 2) understand and utilize the basics of visual design, and 3) tell captivating and compelling stories. This course, offered in a project-based learning format, will give participants practice and confidence in their ability to communicate visually.

DES INV 95/195 DESIGN FIELD NOTES

In this one unit P/NP course, students will attend the weekly Design Field Notes speaker series, which features local design practitioners who share real-world stories about their projects, practices, and perspectives. Talks are scheduled most weeks during the semester; during any off weeks, students will engage in facilitated discussions.

DES INV 98-1 PHOTOGRAPHY PRINCIPLES DECAL

In this class, students will be introduced to the history, art, and practices of photography in the modern world. Students will learn how to manually operate a digital SLR camera, how to use lighting in conjunction with posing to create compositions, and how to post-process RAW photos. Different disciplines will also be taught and include portraiture, landscape, architecture, product, studio, and more. Over the semester, students will learn critiques of photos and develop a more artistic eye for photos.

DES INV 98-2 HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN DECAL

In this course facilitated by Berkeley Innovation, students learn about the human-centered design process and theory and engage in hands-on activities during class and in homework assignments. The course covers research, synthesis, ideation, prototyping, Figma, communication, and presentation skills. Throughout the semester, students will apply what they learn while using industry standard tools to solve a problem they care about in their group midterm research report and individual final project. The course culminates in a case study students can use to kickstart their portfolio and greater design journey. Learn more at hcd-decal.org

DES INV 98-3 INTRODUCTION TO FIGMA DECAL

Introduction to Figma is an opportunity for any student to learn Figma — a powerful, free-to-use design tool — and gain the skills, community, and confidence to bring any idea to life. Through the course, you will learn the mechanics of Figma, basic design theory, and unconventional ways to apply the skills you pick up during the semester. Although Figma is known for its UI/UX design capabilities, you can leverage it for anything that you desire!

DES INV 198-1 VIDEO GAME DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT DECAL

This course is a deep dive into the creation of games, from beginning to end. Over the course of the semester, students will pitch a game, form small teams, and build a project from start to finish with help from our facilitators. Beyond developing video games, students will also learn about core game design principles, the roles that exist within the gaming industry today, and how to collaborate with individuals of different skill sets. The course will be taught using Unity, one of the world’s most popular game engines. Through labs, lectures, and projects, students will master the fundamentals of Unity and will be adequately prepared to work on more complex projects after taking this DeCal. As a 3-unit course, this class will be rigorous, requiring a lot of time and dedication. Prior game development experience is not required, but it is strongly recommended that a student taking the course has basic art or programming abilities. Students will be selected via application prior to the third week of the semester, to ensure that the class’s composition reflects a diverse range of skills, backgrounds, and proficiency levels. Our class meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7pm-8:30pm at Jacobs 10. Attendance is mandatory. If you have a time conflict or cannot attend class, we highly recommend taking this course in a different semester. For more information about the structure of our course, visit our website.

Course Website:
https://www.gamedesigndecal.com

DES INV 198-2 SANDBOX DESIGN STUDIO DECAL

Sandbox is a 2-unit DeCal that brings together a diverse group of creatives across UC Berkeley to pursue projects, collaborate, and share their work. We accept a range of students including fashion designers, entrepreneurs, architects, artists, and honestly anyone really passionate about making things. The class meets in the CITRIS Invention Lab, giving you access to tools like laser cutters, 3D printers, and other fabrication equipment. Each semester, Sandbox receives a small amount of funding that students can use to cover material costs or remove financial barriers that might hold them back from experimenting and trying new ideas.

DES INV 198-3 BRAND IDENTITY GRAPHIC DESIGN DECAL

This course is an in-depth exploration of what branding is and how it works, through the eyes of a designer. Each student will come up with a brand concept for a company/business that’s imaginary or real. Students will cultivate skills of conceptualizing and visualizing and learn the basic skills of graphic design as a means to make those ideas a reality. The course focuses on design as a tool to communicate. Students will learn about the conceptual elements of branding, and how to use graphic design tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as a valuable skill set that will help them in the future.

DES INV 198-4 INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOSHOP & ILLUSTRATOR DECAL

This course teaches graphic design through the use of Photoshop and Illustrator. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CC will be taught in a series of tutorials complemented with exercises to perform during class and at home. These exercises give students the opportunity to practice the tools, create designs, and exercise their creativity. We will also explore graphic design trends and their applications, and learn to receive and give critiques in order to improve your design work.

DES INV 200 DESIGN FRAMEWORKS

This course exposes students to the mindset, skillset and toolset associated with design, and interweaves practical design methods with readings and lectures on the history of design and technology.

DES INV 202 TECHNOLOGY DESIGN FOUNDATIONS (TDF)

This course introduces foundational design and technology frameworks and builds skill sets essential to the design of products, services, and experiences enabled by emerging technologies. It follows a human-centered design process that includes research, concept generation, and prototyping, with an emphasis on iteration and refinement. It also develops fluency across a range of core technologies, from fabrication to micro-controllers, and how to operationalize them within a design context. These activities are supported by regular practice of design critique. Students engage with a highly technical semester-long project to create a product-service system leveraging both hardware and digital technologies that addresses a well-defined need.

DES INV 210 STUDIO FOUNDATIONS

Studio Foundations introduces MDes students to the key concepts of design studio and the foundational principles and methods that inform the ways designers work, collaborate, and practice. Students are introduced to the culture and life of a working studio – the intellectual heart of design practice, and the place where we engage, explore, and experiment. Since design is an iterative practice, this course models the development of ideas through feedback and response, critique and refinement, dialog and distillation. The studio engages a variety of materials and media, and seeks to uncover new approaches to making through emerging technology. As representation is a foundational capacity in design, this course initiates a considered practice of presenting and communicating design ideas – to this end we address skills in visual and verbal communication, and learn ways to document projects in order to begin building a portfolio of design work.

DES INV 213 THESIS STUDIO

In this course you will participate in a hands-on design studio focused on key topics of concern related to design and technology innovation. The primary goal of this course is to orient students to fabrication, building technologies, and fundamental design production skills in a studio environment. A key secondary goal is to provide students the opportunity to address a real world problem and provide an application or solution. Themes and project topics, as well as subject matter expertise, are provided by either external partners, including companies, local governmental offices, or nonprofits, or provided by faculty and related to research interests.

DEV ENG C200 DESIGN, EVALUATE AND SCALE TECHNOLOGIES

This required course for the Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering will include projects and case studies, many related to projects at UC Berkeley, such as those associated with the Development Impact Labs (DIL). Student teams will work with preliminary data to define the problem. They will then collect and analyze interview and survey data from potential users and begin to design a solution. Students will explore how to use novel monitoring technologies and “big data” for product improvement and evaluation. The student teams will use the case studies (with improvements based on user feedback and data analysis) to develop a plan for scaling and evaluation with a rigorous controlled trial.

ENGIN 29 MANUFACTURING AND DESIGN COMMUNICATION

An introduction to manufacturing process technologies and the ways in which dimensional requirements for manufactured objects are precisely communicated, especially through graphical means. Fundamentals of cutting, casting, molding, additive manufacturing, and joining processes are introduced. Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), tolerance analysis for fabrication, concepts of process variability, and metrology techniques are introduced and practiced. 3-D visualization skills for engineering design are developed via sketching and presentation of 3-D geometries with 2-D engineering drawings. Computer-aided design software is used. Teamwork and effective communication are emphasized through lab activities and a design project.

INTEGBI 130 BIO-INSPIRED DESIGN

Bioinspired design views the process of how we learn from Nature as an innovation strategy translating principles of function, performance and aesthetics from biology to human technology. The creative design process is driven by interdisciplinary exchange among engineering, biology, art, architecture and business. Diverse teams of students will collaborate on, create, and present original bioinspired design projects. Lectures discuss biomimicry, challenges of extracting principles from Nature, scaling, robustness, and entrepreneurship through case studies highlighting robots that run, fly, and swim, materials like gecko-inspired adhesives, artificial muscles, medical prosthetic devices, and translation to start-ups.

MECENG 102B MECHATRONICS DESIGN

Introduction to design and realization of mechatronics systems. Micro computer architectures. Basic computer IO devices. Embedded microprocessor systems and control, IO programming such as analogue to digital converters, PWM, serial and parallel outputs. Electrical components such as power supplies, operational amplifiers, transformers and filters. Shielding and grounding. Design of electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators. Design of sensors. Design of power transmission systems. Kinematics and dynamics of robotics devices. Basic feedback design to create robustness and performance.

MECENG 136/236U INTRODUCTION TO CONTROL OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

This course introduces students to the control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The course will cover modeling and dynamics of aerial vehicles, and common control strategies. Laboratory exercises allow students to apply knowledge on a real system, by programming a microcontroller to control a UAV.

MECENG C178/C278 DESIGNING FOR THE HUMAN BODY

The course provides project-based learning experience in understanding product design, with a focus on the human body as a mechanical machine. Students will learn the design of external devices used to aid or protect the body. Topics will include forces acting on internal materials (e.g., muscles and total replacement devices), forces acting on external materials (e.g., prothetics and crash pads), design/analysis of devices aimed to improve or fix the human body, muscle adaptation, and soft tissue injury. Weekly laboratory projects will incorporate EMG sensing, force plate analysis, and interpretation of data collection (e.g., MATLAB analysis) to integrate course material to better understand contemporary design/analysis/problems.

NEU 172L COGNITIVE AND COMPUTIONAL LAB

Recent developments in creative technologies (such as augmented/virtual reality and artificial intelligence programs) have allowed artists to experiment in their studios in novel ways. How do we tell stories, question the status quo, envision alternative futures, or push boundaries using new programs, forms, or spatial understandings? How can new mediums inform the way we understand and produce works of art? How do we critically engage, subvert, and challenge the commercial industry model of new media production?

By utilizing research and experimentation with new tools and software programs, we will consider art making in relation to other more traditional media. This is not a technology class with a dash of art on the side. In this class, developing your artistic voice will be just as important as honing your technical skills. We will have a historical approach and we will look at new media art in an ongoing dialogue with sculpture, installation, film, video, sound art, and performance art. Students will be introduced to contemporary art projects by artists working in socially engaged forms, raising awareness and creating opportunities for conversation about our political and ecological realities.

While it is not necessary to have proficiency in specific software programs before taking this course, having some familiarity with creative tools is beneficial. Merging new and traditional mediums will be encouraged. Assignments include: using artificial intelligence programs to iterate on collaborative drawings, using Adobe Illustrator and a laser cutter to design and install an art intervention, and exploring spatial immersion and critical worldbuilding using virtual reality.