Course summary

Right from the start, our product design engineering degree is all about developing your creativity and problem-solving skills. Even the introduction is a team-based design-and-build challenge – reflecting the kind of project-based, hands-on approach to learning you’ll experience throughout your time with us. It’s a degree that provides the specialist knowledge and expertise required for a career in commercial product design, introducing you to industry-relevant methodologies, materials and production methods. You’ll also look at the influence on the design of history, culture, markets, materials and lifestyles. And in our specialist laboratories, you’ll get to grips with some of the latest technologies, such as 3D printing, rapid prototyping and virtual reality. More generally, you’ll learn to look at the world around you through the eyes of a designer, as you establish the fundamentals of design and technology, together with the relationship that products have with their users and their environment. Study product design engineering with us and in your final year you’ll be ready to put these skills into practice in a new product design challenge and an individual project. You’ll then have the chance to showcase your work in front of industry representatives at the department’s degree show as you look to kick-start your career in this challenging and rewarding field. FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• You will be taught by staff drawn from both academia and industry, providing you with an understanding of the latest design thinking alongside an appreciation of the commercial environment.

• We’re ranked 6th in the UK for impact of research (REF 2021).

• Tackle real challenges from the world of engineering and product design. Every year, the Department of Engineering invites businesses and academic colleagues to set new, live projects that challenge our students to devise innovative solutions to current problems. You’ll get feedback and advice directly from industry insiders and have the chance to find out exactly what it takes to impress a potential future employer.

• Gain valuable industry experience by taking the four-year placement route and spend your third year on industrial placement.

• We are investing £115m to transform the way we teach in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Our new Dalton building will enhance collaboration between students, staff and industry and provide new and improved teaching spaces, including a dedicated engineering learning studio and a purpose-built light engineering workshop.

• Have access to the latest digital fabrication technologies at our 3D printing centre, PrintCity.

• Showcase your design and engineering skills in extra-curricular group projects like the Formula Student racing car competition or the Engineering For People Design Challenge.

• Create a professional design portfolio celebrating your work which will assist you in your next steps to becoming a professional product designer.

• We'll support you to develop a five-year career plan, to help you to achieve your ambitions.

• Adapt your schedule to meet your needs through our drop-in workshops and laboratories.