Learning at NID
Having entered the 5th decade of design excellence, NID has been active as an autonomous national institute of excellence under the aegis the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, in education, applied research, service and advanced training in Industrial, Communication, Textile, and I.T.  Integrated (Experiential) Design. NID offers a wide spectrum of design domains while encouraging transdisciplinary design Projects. NID is a unique institution with many problem-solving capabilities, depths of intellect and a time-tested, creative educational culture in promoting design competencies and setting standards of design education. The rigorous development of the designer’s skills and knowledge through a careful process of “Hands on Minds on”  is what makes the difference.

Professional Education Programme
The overall structure of NID’s programme is a combination of theory, skills, design projects, and field experience supported by cutting edge design studios, skill & innovation labs and the Knowledge Management Centre. Sponsored design projects are brought into the classroom to provide professional experience. Interdisciplinary design studies in Science and Liberal Arts widen the students’ horizons and increase general awareness of contemporary issues. A unique feature of NID’s design education programme is the openness of its educational culture and environment, where students from other faculties and design domains interact with each other in a seamless manner. The benefit of learning in such a trans-disciplinary context is immeasurable.

The Professional Education at NID has both UG & PG Programmes – Graduate Diploma Programme in Design (GDPD) of four years’ duration for students after 10+2, or equivalent like AISSCE/IB/ICSE, and the Post-Graduate Diploma Programme in Design (PGDPD) of 2 to 2 ½ years duration for graduates; particularly from architecture, technology, engineering, fine and applied arts, information technology, computer science, etc.

Educational Facilities: Classrooms, Studios & Laboratories
The Institute is equipped with skill development lab, innovation lab and specialised labs for ceramics and glass, leather and plastics, textile and apparel design studios, computer labs, GRIDS studio, On-line education centre, Knowledge Management Centre housing nearly 34,000 books and a large collection of journals, audiovisual materials and prototypes, a large contemporary IT Centre with high-end machines and softwares, entire campus including hostels with Local Area Networking for both internet and intranet facilities, Design Vision Centre with rapid prototyping (RPP) and high performance visualization (HPV) solutions, photography and printing studios, video and animation studios, and skilled technical staff to assist design students in their learning. All these studios are equipped to handle professional work and sponsored research in addition to meeting training needs and are kept continuously upgraded.

Global Context of NID's Education
NID has signed MoUs with leading universities/institutions overseas to strengthen collaborative relationship with educational institutions of international repute and to pave the way for exchange of faculty members, exchange of students, joint research activities, participation in seminars and academic meetings etc. while placing Indian Design in a global context. These exchange relationships enable both faculty and students upgradation and exposure to global design scenarios and practices. The MoUs signed in the last 3-4 years include:

1. ENSCL/Les Ateliers, France
2. ENSAD, France
3. Massey University , New Zealand
4. Sheridan College of Applied Arts & Tech. , Canada
5. Burg Giebichenstein - University of Art and Design, Halle , Germany
6. Royal College of Art, UK
7. Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design , Sweden
8. Brimingham Institute of Art & Design (BAID), UK
9. Shenkars College of Engineering & Design, Israel
10. Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, Germany
11. Instituto Professional DUC UC of the Pontifica Universidad Catolica De Chile , Santiago , Chile
12. Danmarks Designskole (DDS), Denmark
13. Fashion Institute of Designing Ltd, Dhaka , Bangladesh
14. Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa , Sri Lanka
15. Film & Television Institute of India , Pune
16. Politecnico di Milano , Italy
17. University “La Sapienza”, Italy
18. Istituto Europeo Di Design S R L, Italy