Unbalanced by design: Revealing structural gaps in Universal Design and Sustainability in design education

Design education shapes the ethical lens through which future practitioners approach the world, yet key values like Universal Design (UD) and Sustainability remain inconsistently taught. This study analyses 43 US industrial design programmes to assess whether these frameworks are meaningfully integrated or merely gestured at. Despite Sustainability’s high visibility, it is often relegated to elective courses or research labs. UD on the other hand, while less frequently mentioned, shows stronger presence in required coursework when included. The data reveal a structural imbalance: institutions signal commitment to responsible design but rarely embed it in foundational curricula. This gap risks producing graduates ill-equipped to design for inclusion, equity, or long-term impact. By comparing curricular content and institutional messaging, the study exposes the disconnect between aspirational rhetoric and educational practice and argues for UD and Sustainability to be treated not as optional topics, but as core design competencies.