Submission Requirements
All design, development, and product line management students MUST apply to matriculate into the Professional Program (final two years). To apply to matriculate a student must have a 2.67 overall GPA, a 3.0 minimum OPDD GPA, with a C or better in the following OPDD core courses:
- OPDD 1000 Concept Sketching (Fall only)
- OPDD 1050 Fundamentals of Design (Spring only)
- OPDD 1100 Intro to Product Creation (Fall only)
- OPDD 1750 History of Outdoor Products (Spring only)
- OPDD 2420 Digital Tech 2D Design (prerequisite TEE 1010)
- OPDD 2430 Digital Tech 3D Design (prerequisites TESY 1200)
- OPDD 2710 Outdoor Product Professional Seminar (Fall only)
- TEE 1010 Graphic Communication Tech
Two of the following lower-level OPDD technical elective courses:
- TESY 1200 CAD and Design
- FCSE 1040 Intro Sewing Outdoor Products
- FCSE 2040 Intermediate Clothing Construction
- TESY 1030 Material Processing Systems
- TEE 2030 Wood-Based Manufacturing Systems
- OPDD 2050 Intermediate Soft Goods Gear Construction and Development
A minimum grade of C is required for all Pre-Professional courses. No more than 2 retakes are allowed in the Pre-Professional program.
Retakes include multiple repeats of the same course and audits. The pass/fail grading option cannot be used for required or elective Pre-Professional courses (though it is allowed for University Studies courses).
Students must schedule a time to meet with their Academic Advisor to create a long term plan and ensure that they have all prerequisite classes. Students must apply to submit their portfolio 5 PM MST the last day of Fall classes.
Students who submit an application will be added to a Portfolio Submission Canvas course during the Spring semester that will provide additional information and access to submit their Final Portfolio and Transcripts.
Professional Program Portfolio Guidelines:
1: A web-based presentation
This should focus on a portfolio of your projects. This website should have tabs at the top to direct the review committee to the following materials:
- Resume (see #2 below)
- Ideology statement (see #3 below)
- Portfolio of your projects (see #4 below)
Create this web site using Wix, Dribble, Cargo, PortfolioBox, Adobe Portfolio (keep in mind that your Adobe Portfolio account created with a usu.edu email will expire upon graduation), or similar that is easy for you to use. You may use the free version.
2: Resume
- Single page document
- Includes correct formatting and contains appropriate content for a resume
- Linked and/or tab in your web-based presentation/web site.
3: Ideology Statement
- Maximum of 250 words
- An explanation of how, what, and why you create. Please share why you love to create while avoiding telling a lengthy history of why you like the outdoors. Explain why you choose the OPDD major.
- Linked and/or tab in your web-based presentation/web site.
4: Portfolio of your projects
Include three projects that demonstrate your ability to work through a design and development process. These projects may be from assignments you completed in courses you have already completed such as: OPDD1000, OPDD1050, OPDD1100, OPDD2420, OPDD2430, FCSE1040, FCSE2040, OPDD2040, TEE2030, TESY1030, or other relevant courses. At your discretion, you may choose to substitute any project(s) you completed during course work with project(s) of your own choice. The three projects you choose to present should show your best process, skills, and abilities. You may rework or improve any project completed previously to show your current progress, regardless of when you completed your project(s). Please indicate what software and/or A.I. tools were used to create any items in your portfolio.
(*In OPDD 2710, you may choose any of your projects to expand or improve upon to include in your portfolio. You will also learn more about what makes for excellent portfolio content and structure.)
Four aspects/phases of the concept design process
Each of the three projects needs to show the following four aspects/phases of the concept design process. Each project must include:
- Research
- Ideation and creative exploration
- Refinement and development of the concept
- Finalization and visualization of the concept and/or prototype
Showcase and emphasize the skills, abilities, and creativity that you have developed in courses you have taken or projects you have worked on. Please include examples of the following throughout your portfolio:
Product Line Management
Student demonstrates a clear understanding of product lifecycle, from conception to discontinuation. Content clearly casts the product's vision, using research to communicate market demand, key competitors, marketing strategy, and financial analysis. Projects are supported by evidence such as market trends, opportunities for growth, user characteristics, and the product's profitability and competitiveness, and are supported by historic precedents, a mood board, and a concise design brief.
Product Design
Student shows creativity and problem solving in their design process. Several iterations of the solution to the design problem are documented through sketching with a clear and iterative path showing the evolution of the final product concept. Technical skills and design knowledge from the OPDD fundamental courses are present through the display of sketches, 2D illustrations, 3D models, and renderings. All software packages are used within the curation of the packet (Adobe products, Solidworks or Rhino, & Keyshot).
Product Development
Student demonstrates technical skills in prototyping and construction of products through their ability to work with diverse materials, processes, and tools. The development process is clearly and concisely documented through use of Tech Packs and technical drawings, 3D models, and photographs. A final prototype is tested to validate the solution.
Visual Communication
The packet is easy to navigate and has a clear visual presentation of the product creation process, which includes proper use of the elements and principles of visual design. Text and captions are concise and clearly explain the importance of the artifact and any necessary information. Visual elements are intentional and focused and help with articulating the story of the project.
Statement of Intent
The statement clearly details why the students wants to matriculate into the program, for which emphasis, and outlines their strengths. Statement is clearly written and organized, with no spelling or grammar errors, and stays within the word count.
Resume
The resume highlights strengths and applicable information; appropriate font and sized used; and balanced margins with eye appeal: Presented in single page format. Heading, objective, skills, experience, and education is covered in detail. The document layout uses appropriate choice of font, balanced margins with eye appeal, and includes no spelling or grammar errors.
You may choose to emphasize the different examples listed above in varying amounts for each project, but all must appear somewhere in your portfolio. For example, if a project you want to include has many ideation sketching examples but no physical fabrication/prototyping in it, that is okay. Simply show the final design as a rendering and show physical fabrication/prototyping in another project.
Please include a link to each of the projects on your website. No projects or prototypes need to be physically turned in. The web-based portfolio presentation is due by 5pm MST the Friday before Spring Break.
Transcripts
- Can be unofficial copies from Banner
- Include any from other institutions, if applicable
- Submitted in pdf format in Canvas
- Labeled as Lastname_Firstname_Transcripts.pdf