Kyushu University’s School of Design was founded in 1968 as Japan’s first Institute of Design to offer education and research in the field of design. The institute started with four departments (Environmental Design, Industrial Design, Visual Communication Design, and Acoustic Design). In 1997, the number of departments increased to five with the establishment of the Department of Art and Information Design. Then, in 2003, the institution integrated with Kyushu University. From 2020, the school has only one department, Department of Design, with five courses and a flexible curriculum that allows students to study based on their interests.