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Product Design at De Montfort University - UCAS

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Our course helps you to take your imaginative ideas and make them real, through a balance of creative and technical skills. You will develop a technological approach to the design and creation of functional and innovative products. You will study the fundamentals of maths and science, electrical, electronic and mechanical principles, and simulation and fluid dynamics, as well as the functional and market-led requirements of product design. You will look at research insights, concept generation, three-dimensional design, product definition, technology integration, electronic and mechanical engineering and the manufacturing process, with specific awareness of inclusive and sustainable product practices. Current industry insight feeds into your learning and we will support you to become an industry-ready graduate who can deploy technologically creative design solutions across a range of industries. Key features

  • Accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirements for Registered Product Designer (RProdDes).
  • Bring your ideas to life both digitally and physically with industry standard tools that will enable you to produce digital designs, renders and animations as well as 3D artefacts in plastics, wood and metals.
  • Gain professional experience with placement opportunities that have seen students work at prestigious names such as BMW, Hodges & Drake, Lewis Design Associates and Artform International.
  • We work with industry to shape our curriculum and you will be taught by professionally-active staff who are involved in projects with global brands, as well as benefit from our in-house design consultancy.
  • Strengthen your portfolio by entering prestigious competitions and showcasing your work. Our students have recently been recognised in the Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) competition and have exhibited their projects at New Designers in London.
  • The award-winning Vijay Patel Building provides both the space and the facilities to foster creative thinking, where ideas can develop and flourish for all our art and design course students. You will have access to superb workshops as well as engineering laboratories that bring together a wide range of equipment used in design, manufacture, prototyping and testing.
  • Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Modules

First year Block 1: DMU Designer Block 2: Advanced Technology for Designers Block 3: Design Conception – Thinking and Methods Block 4: Design Delivery Second year Block 1: DMU Designer 2 Block 2: Advanced Technology for Designers 2 Block 3: Design Communication and Definition Block 4: Design Practice Third year Block 1: Design Practice 2 Block 2: Design Conception – Personal Project Block 3: Design Development – Personal Project Block 4: Design Delivery – Personal Project

Assessment method

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging. Overview The curriculum is focussed on developing professional practice skills and knowledge for a career in industrial product design for manufacture. You will study a broad range of areas including user-research, design methodologies, ergonomics, aesthetics, drawing, visual communication, interface, materials, manufacturing, technical specification, 2D and 3D CAD, sustainability, additive manufacturing, technology integration, team working and project management. You can determine your own design direction according to your passions and aspirations. We have seen students design a wearable sports tracking device, foldable electric scooter, augmented reality cycling helmet, urban beehive and sensory furniture to name just a few innovative projects. You will be taught through a combination of lectures, lab sessions, seminars, tutorials, workshops and self-directed study.There is a varied mix of assessment including: portfolios, group presentations, case study analysis, individual exercises, report writing, short form unseen exercises and essay writing. You are taught by design academics, designers in residence and visiting design consultants with specialist knowledge and skills in product design. All our staff have worked in industry and carry out commercial activity and leading research. Visiting lecturers support week-long projects or run weekly seminars, tutorials or lecture series. Previous visiting lecturers have come from leading companies including Mosley&, Empathic, Redline Studios, Seymourpowell, Out of the Bubble Design and Retail Lab. Our students have won many major awards in recent years including the prestigious D&AD Award for Product Design and the RSA Student Design Awards. Contact hours In your first year you will normally attend around 13 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.


How to apply

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
70%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
EU £16750 Year 1
International £16750 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

*subject to the government, as is expected, passing legislation to formalise the increase Please note that fees for subsequent years of study for continuing students are subject to an annual review. Any increase in fee will be in line with RPI-X (linked to the retail price index) and the fee cap set by the Government
Product Design at De Montfort University - UCAS