Product Design, BA (Hons), with industry placement

This contemporary Product Design degree addresses the future challenges of sustainable production through innovative materials, making, and design practices. Students develop essential practical and critical skills via interdisciplinary, project-based learning, exploring sustainability principles and a range of materials using traditional and digital processes in state-of-the-art workshops. Taught by industry experts, the course fosters creativity, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship, preparing graduates as adaptable problem-solvers for a global economy. It includes a Professional Placement Year, where students undertake 9-13 months of external work experience between their second and final years, with support for sourcing placements and financial aid through bursaries.The program spans three academic years plus placement: Year one builds foundational skills in sketching, prototyping, and materials; Year two deepens focus on sustainability and human-centred design through industry briefs; and the final year emphasizes advanced projects, portfolio development, and public presentations. Assessment is entirely coursework-based, with ongoing feedback from tutors and peers to enhance professional growth.

Year one You’ll develop a foundation of core design skills from sketching and model-making to digital and analogue making processes, material knowledge and experimentation. You’ll acquire skills in design communication, visualisation, research and prototyping, and develop your understanding of small to large-scale production. You’ll get access to all the technical workshops, enabling you to progress confidently into year two. In addition, you’ll be introduced to our excellent library staff and the extensive design reference and research resources and learn about critical issues in contemporary design, such as the circular economy, distributed manufacturing and experiential design. Year two In the second year, you’ll deepen your understanding of design practice and the opportunities available, and start to identify your personal direction in design. You’ll apply more focused design principles around sustainability and human-centred design. External briefs and study visits provide direct engagement with the design industry, and ensure you explore design innovation with a global outlook. Entrepreneurial approaches to design will be supported, and you’ll gain valuable experience of collaboration and project management. Year three is your Professional Placement Year. Final year You’ll further develop, challenge and explore design and your understanding of your field of practice in preparation for establishing your career. Your final research and contextual study project will underpin your practice and critical thinking as you expand your industry awareness and produce product solutions and design proposals. Part-way through the year, you’ll have the opportunity to present your work through a public platform, gaining essential feedback and experience to confidently progress your final project and develop an outstanding portfolio of work to be able to promote yourself to your industry networks. Your final project challenges you to create a professional level of design work to present to an external audience, showing at the end of year degree show and often in an external show such as New Designers.