What Do You Need for Car Designing?
While engineers are the professionals who design the parts that make cars function, car designers combine art and engineering to create the plans that determine how a car looks. Car design is an extremely competitive field, so those looking for a job as a designer must meet certain requirements.
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Education
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While some employers consider applicants with a bachelors degree in industrial design, increasingly employers prefer those with masters degrees, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When pursuing a masters in industrial design, it is not necessary to have a bachelor's degree in the field, as many graduate students have backgrounds in marketing, information technology or engineering.
Time Frame
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A bachelor's degree in car design typically requires four years to complete. Masters degrees may take up to four years of additional study after completing a bachelor's program.
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Coursework
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Necessary coursework for car design includes sketching, computer-aided drafting, manufacturing methods, engineering, physics, mathematics, psychology and anthropology, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Portfolios
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A portfolio is a collection of work a car designer presents to prospective employers to demonstrate their skills. A portfolio displaying a high level of skill and designs that are distinct, original and imaginative are necessary for securing jobs in car design.
Skills
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Successful car designers are capable oral and written communicators, aware of current trends and tastes and in possession of strong organizational and time-management skills. Fluency in at least one foreign language is also beneficial, according to Car Design News.
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