Industrial Design Centre (1969) at the IIT Bombay campus was established with the vision of catering to the country's design needs primarily through interventions in Industrial Design through a post-graduate diploma. The center has spearheaded the needs of the time through research and innovations by offering the first Master's program in Industrial Design (1980). Responding to the changing conditions in the visual domain in society and the country at large, the first Master's Program (M.Des) in Visual Communication (1984) started. Further, to meet the liberalized economy's demand, specializations in Interaction Design and Animation Design (2006) derived from the Visual Communication discipline. The Mobility and Vehicle Design (2010) from the Industrial Design Department

With the introduction of India's first Ph.D. program in design (2005) and a four-year, eight-semester Bachelor of Design (B.Des) program (2015), and a five-year, ten-semester dual degree B.Des + M.Des program. However, a second-degree option will be available only at the end of the 3rd year. Both these programs would be credit-based and thus offer the flexibility to progress at one's own pace. A minimum level of performance is essential for satisfactory progress. The medium of instruction is English.

Over Fifty years of its illustrious existence, it has earned its reputation from an 'Industrial Design Centre' to the 'School of Design' through well-established Programs in Design for all stages of Professional Studies, which include Summer courses and Projects/internships, Under graduation (B.Des), Dual Degree (B.Des & M.Des), Post-Graduation (M.Des), Doctoral Studies (Ph.D.) And Post-Doctoral Research and studies. The evolved identity and expertise with constant improvements in its approaches led to becoming the leader in Design Education. IDC School of Design has celebrated its golden jubilee with the first graduating batch of 2015 with a B.Des Degree in 2019 and the first Dual Degree (B.Des + M.Des) in 2020.

IDC School of Design provides a conducive environment for research, academics, and collaborative projects. Supported by excellent research facilities, technical expertise, and IIT Bombay's academic diversity, the IDC School, has been involved with various initiatives in all design areas. The potential for innovation at IDC lies fundamentally in solving real-world problems.

Students admitted to the B.Des program will not be eligible for branch change to any other undergraduate programs (BTech) offered by IIT Bombay at any time during the entire duration of the program.