The students were subdued as a package of nine recommendations was endorsed by an overwhelming majority and they walked out quietly after voting was completed.
Only three council members, including student representatives Harriet Geoghegan and Victoria Nicholson, voted against the package.
Two weeks ago, more than 200 students held a silent protest as the design studies proposals were debated by the senate, the university's main academic committee.
That committee meets behind closed doors.
The recommendations, proposed to address financial and academic issues, also include the end of design studies as a study major, the transfer of clothing and textile sciences staff to the department of applied science and the merger of two applied science programmes into a single degree stream.
However, vice-chancellor Prof Sir David Skegg said yesterday the move did not mean the end of design studies at the university, calling the changes "positive and exciting".
The master of design interdisciplinary degree would continue to be offered and design studies would be available as a minor study subject.
Transitional arrangements would be made to enable current design students to complete their qualifications in a reasonable time.
Prof Skegg criticised the Otago Daily Times for what he said was "a degree of misreporting and misinformation" about the proposed changes and how they might impact on design students.
Ms Geoghegan said she opposed the recommendations because of a lack of communication with students about the changes but noted communication "had improved vastly" since the senate meeting.
