Product Design BA (Hons)

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

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Degree

UCAS code: H766112 UCAS points

BA (Hons) Product Design, home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant
  • Full time, 3 years
  • Pound 9535 per year

BA (Hons) Product Design, home applicant, part time

  • Home Applicant
  • Part time, 6 years
  • pro-rata full time fee

BA (Hons) Product Design, international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 3 years
  • Pound 15560 per year

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: H76864 UCAS points

BA (Hons) Product Design, home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant
  • Full time, 4 years
  • TBC per year

BA (Hons) Product Design, international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 3/4 years
  • Pound 15560 per year

What makes this course different

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'The SpaceX of architecture schools' - UEL Student Show 2023 exhibits a cohort of future architects.

Interdisciplinary

This programme is part of a larger group that includes many inspired people offering cross-disciplinary influences and contributions from other diverse programmes within the School.

Professional development

Live projects form a large part of the professional development which gives you a realistic understanding of industry practice and an insight into future product design employment.

Course modules

Your foundation year will give you a grounding in art and design theory and techniques.

Year 1 prepares students with a comprehensive understanding of design principles and this knowledge will be embedded into an approach to realising innovative ideas which can be profitably manufactured and marketed.

In year two you'll dive further into theory and practice. You'll be working on a design project but also thinking about your final design project in year three. You will learn and prepare skills and techniques to help you shape your end-of-degree project.

In your final year, you will complete a final design project, incorporating all you have learned in the last three years. You will be prepared to enter independent practice, the professional architecture or design workplace, or for higher studies.

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

Our graduates' product design skills are highly transferable. Studying product design will give you an excellent grounding in related areas such as design management, research, consultancy, and teaching. Our students are successful in many national and international competitions and events and often use these as a springboard to employment in product design.

Industry links

After completing your product design course, you'll be able to exhibit your work at the highly regarded 'New Designers' exhibition at the Business Design Centre in London. 

This attracts professionals and academics from the wider national and international design field, giving you the chance to win prizes, gain publicity in the design press, and impress prospective employers or investors.

Graduate employers

Some of our recent graduates have gone on to work in British and overseas consultancies, product design engineering firms, and website design companies. Some have set up their own design consultancies with the expert support of the Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability or developed and marketed their project work with the support of our Petchey Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Job roles

Throughout the course, you will develop a comprehensive knowledge and professional portfolio, which is your gateway to a rewarding product design career. This could be as a product or industrial designer, manufacturing or product engineer, digital fabricator, freelance designer, UX/UI designer, social designer or work in design management and strategy.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Further study

As you complete your degree, you may choose to pursue further studies with our MSc Engineering Management. This could set you apart and give you a chance to develop your career further.

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As a university committed to your career growth, we've curated dedicated Career Zones across all of our campuses with practical services tailored to your success. From internships, personalised coaching, and employability workshops to volunteering, mentoring, placements, and enterprise opportunities, we offer a diverse range of support."
Rema Khatun

Career Zone

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including: 

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work 
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new business
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

You will be joining a creative hub of innovative engineers and product designers. You will observe other design projects, share ideas, and participate in interdisciplinary projects and competitions, such as the IMechE Formula Student challenge to design and build a single-seat racing car.

With a personal tutor to oversee progress, and module leaders for each part of the course, you will work independently or occasionally in small groups on design briefs and projects in our dedicated design studios.

Our fabrication and design facilities include traditional workshops as well as computer-aided design (CAD) suites where a student can use a range of two and three-dimensional programs to produce test results and resolve concept ideas through to final design.

Guided independent study

We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library, and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces, and a dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

Academic support

Students are supported with any academic or subject-related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, and former and current UEL students. 

If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the University from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. 

Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater to your every need. UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

Dedicated personal tutor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of the academic course team who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Workload

Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars, and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module. 

The approximate percentages for this course are: 

  • Year 1: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours
  • Year 2: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours
  • Year 3: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

Class sizes

The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module, and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.

How you'll be assessed

There are no exams on this course. You will be assessed continually under supervision using various methods, such as personal and group tutorials and presentations where work is appraised by a panel of teaching staff along with a peer group of fellow students. Through these methods, as well as carrying out activities in the workshop and laboratory, you will receive regular formative feedback. This feedback will assist the learning process and improve the quality of work before the final hand-in. 

Design modules require a series of presentations for each project throughout the course. You will present your work to your colleagues and teachers highlighting details relating to your primary research, through to concept developments and the fabrication of design(s), as well as a concluding pitch of your chosen final design. You will also develop a creative portfolio of work. Other modules require a group presentation and a short written assignment. 

Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.

Campus and facilities

Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by the School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

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Statistics for BA (Hons) Product Design Degree, Full Time

Statistics for BA (Hons) Product Design Degree, Full Time

What our students and staff say

Stratford Campus - University House
It is vitally important for students to master the skills needed to rapidly prototype an idea and gain an aptitude for testing and reiterating solutions thereby allowing ideas to develop and flourish into sustainable and feasible products."

Andrew Wright

MSc BA (Hons) FRSA Programme Leader

Product Design hero banner 1920x1080
The Product Design course is a rich and diverse experience limited only by imagination. The course is a well-structured experience where I learned to problem solve, research, and take risks amongst a traditional craftwork environment. UEL was an enriching three years that gave me a well-rounded set of design skills in both digital and physical environments.

Ryan Bragg

Product Design BA (Hons)