NC State Design Camp: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

Through NC State Design Camp, young designers get hands-on experience in a range of design fields, such a graphic and industrial design. Summer day camp and residential options are both available.

NC State Design Camp is a pre-college design program intended to introduce creative high school students to multiple design disciplines. Open to middle and high school students, Design Camp teaches design principles and design thinking skills in a college environment to talented students considering pursuing a career in design.

Design Camp is intended for high school students interested in developing design skills and creativity through hands-on experimentation in the studio. All Design Camp graduates have the opportunity to create a portfolio-quality project in a studio environment.

Design Camp is offered by the NC State College of Design, a part of North Carolina State University (NC State) located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It has recently received recognition as the top design program at a public university in the United States. Their animation and game design programs have been especially highly-ranked: typically in the top 5 in the United States. Undergraduate students from NC State College of Design serve as counselors at Design Camp.

School Locations

Design Camp is offered in-person on the NC State College of Design campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. Students can choose to attend a day camp or a residential camp. Some camps, such as Design Immersion, are only offered as residential programs.

Subjects Taught at NC State Design Camp

Design Camp is intended to give creative high school students a sneak peek into life as college-level design students. Their immersive pre-college programs introduce students to fundamental design principles and provide the hands-on experience of creating portfolio-quality objects in a studio environment.

High school students interested in finding design classes in their area should try Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool. You can search for high school design classes near me or live online high school design classes.

Age Requirements

Design Camp offers Middle School Day Camps for students from 6th to 8th grade. The High School Day Camp is open to students in grades 9-12.

The two residential camps are open to high school students only. The High School Residential Camp is open to all high school students, grades 9-12. And due to its advanced nature, Design Immersions Residential Camp is only available to high school students in the 11th and 12th grades.

What Classes Are Available?

There are four options for attending Design Camp: Middle School Day Camp, High School Day Camp, High School Residential Camp, and Design Immersions Residential Camp.

Middle School Day Camp is open to rising 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students. This camp is geared toward middle school students interested in learning more about design, visual literacy, and problem-solving skills. Students develop design thinking skills through completing hands-on projects across multiple design disciplines.

High School Day Camp is a week-long design camp that teaches high school students the design process through a series of assignments that allow high school students to sample the programs offered at the NC State College of Design. This course is geared toward high school students who want to sample the college-level design experience.

Design Camp’s High School Residential Camp is designed to give high school students a view of studying design in college. It also allows them to live as a design college student. The residential program also guides students through hands-on projects across multiple disciplines like the Day Camps. Unlike the Day Camps, the residential program requires more time in the studio, providing a more in-depth peek into the life of a college design student.

Design Camp’s Design Immersions Residential Camp aims to provide rising 11th and 12th graders with the opportunity to create portfolio-quality projects for use in college applications. This immersive, pre-college program begins with an orientation followed by at-home assignments students complete before attending camp. Students will complete a portfolio project in a studio on-campus and attend evening activities with other Design Campers during the residential week.

Class Formats

The programs are located at the NC State College of Design campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. Design Camp offers both day camps and residential camps. Day camps are available for middle and high school students. High School students who want a more immersive experience can attend either the High School Residential Camp or the Design Immersions Residential Camp.

Design Camp’s programs are intended to provide quality studio time through a sequence of hands-on assignments across multiple disciplines. Residential campers are housed with a roommate in residence halls on campus.

Admissions Process

Design Camp has open admissions with online registration. Although there is no admissions process, classes typically fill up quickly. There are only 100 spots per camp.

To avoid being placed on a waiting list, interested students are encouraged to sign up early via Design Camp’s online registration portal.

Pricing & Payment Options

The price you pay will depend on which camp you choose to attend. All camps require a $100 non-refundable deposit at registration, which will be applied toward total camp fees. There is a deadline for submitting the full payment.

Middle School Day Camp is $700. High School Day Camp is $825. Since the residential camps include housing and meals, they cost more than the day camps. The High School Residential Camp is $1200, and the High School Design Immersions Residential Camp is $1300.

Limited financial assistance and scholarships are available. Decisions about financial aid and scholarships are based on demonstrated need, student motivation, creative potential, and academic merit. Applications must include a statement of need from a parent or guardian, a statement of interest from the student, a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor. All scholarship applicants must pay the $100 non-refundable deposit upon registration.

Benefits of Attending NC State Design Camp

Creative high school students are allowed to sample the experience of studying at a top design college. Students can enroll in day camps or residential programs. Design Camp’s programs teach design thinking through a series of hands-on projects across the range of disciplines taught at NC State College of Design.

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Online reviews are mostly positive. Several former Design Campers discuss their experience at Design Camp in an NC State College of Design promotional video. Campers are predominantly positive about the preview Design Camp gave them in attending design college: “My experience in Design Camp has really shown me what it would be like to actually live in the design college environment in the college experience.”

Several students found that the inclusion of projects in multiple disciplines helped them develop both their artistic vision and their design focus: “Because we studied different disciplines, I really found my voice.” Another says, “Design Camp gave me a better understanding of what I want to do…it really helped me to understand what design is in general.”

As one student sums it up: “Design Camp covers so many aspects of design. It’s a really special week.”

Key Takeaways

Middle school and high school students interested in studying design have the opportunity to learn at a top design college: North Carolina State University’s College of Design.
NC State’s Design Camp offers day camps and more immersive residential programs.
All campers learn design thinking through hands-on projects from five of the College of Design’s disciplines: art & design, architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, and industrial design.
Campers get a sneak peek into studying at a design college through project assignments and studio time.
High school students prepare for college applications by preparing a portfolio-quality project.

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NC State Design Camp

School Locations

Subjects Taught at NC State Design Camp

Age Requirements

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Admissions Process

Pricing & Payment Options

Benefits of Attending NC State Design Camp

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Key Takeaways

Top Courses at NC State Design Camp

High School Day Camp

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Subjects Taught at NC State Design Camp

Graphic Design

Map of NC State Design Camp Locations