Course summary
Design and the role of the designer are changing. Designers now must apply their creative skills within new industries and social practices that are continuously emerging. The focus is no longer just on the solving of existing problems or the refinement of solutions – but reimagining experience and finding ways to make this tangible. Product Design at The Glasgow School of Art is a degree with a long heritage, but possessing a future focused perspective on the discipline. Our notion of what a product is challenges tradition, encompassing everything from physical artifacts, to services and interactions, but with an emphasis upon creating tangible experiences. We aim to produce graduates who are able to apply their skills in response to diverse and evolving contexts, and can act as the creative and strategic link between technology and society. Our students are encouraged to explore complex social, ethical and environmental issues as subject matter for design. They are asked to engage with and understand the people who will use and be affected by their designs, and learn to apply research methods and analytical skills from the Social Sciences in order to do so. Furthermore, our students are taught to be explorative and to learn to think through making, resulting in designers who are both critical and creative thinkers. With designers operating in an increasingly global context we also believe international experience is an important aspect of design education. Product Design students at GSA have the option of taking part in the Masters of European Design (MEDes) programme, which is unique in the UK. This five year Masters was conceived and developed at the GSA, in partnership with six other leading design universities across Europe, and it allows our students to do year-long exchanges at two different partner schools. Additionally, our students on the B.Des (Hons) degree have access to a global network of Universities and Design Colleges for exchanges and placements in schools across Europe, Japan, India, North America and Australia. The programme content, both at the GSA and its partner institutions, is delivered primarily within the design studio. This approach creates a socially interactive, yet individually driven, working practice, with teamwork & shared experience core to our philosophy. The small size of each year-group, typically 30-35 students, coupled with close & frequent contact with the tutors, creates an informal yet highly effective student-led learning environment. In addition to design studio practice, our students also acquire knowledge of a foreign language and a grounding in the theories and methods of the social sciences. Our staff have skills and expertise in various disciplines such as product design, service design, interaction design, social innovation, participatory design, environmental design, engineering, social sciences, design ethnography, experiential design, biomedical science and bioethics.
How to apply
This course has limited vacancies, and is no longer accepting applications from some students. See the list below for where you normally live, to check if you’re eligible to apply.
EU
Wales
England
International
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- HW72
- Institution code:
- G43
- Campus name:
- Garnethill Campus
- Campus code:
- A
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - ABB
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - PPP
Scottish Higher - ABBB - AABB
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H2, H2, H2, H2
Additional entry requirements
Portfolio
Interview
Audition
Student Outcomes
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
EU | £21360 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £1820 | Year 1 |
England | £9250 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
International | £21360 | 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
Provider information
Glasgow School of Art
167 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G3 6RQ