The Department was established in 1930 for the training of teachers and since 1977 it has offered undergraduate programmes in product/industrial design. The Department has a strong reputation for its teaching and research, across its undergraduate and postgraduate courses and research activities.

Currently, the Department has around 50 full and part-time staff in academic, technical, administrative and research roles. It is housed in the Bridgeman Centre, a building of offices, lecture rooms and interconnecting studios, workshops and laboratories. It has many well-equipped studios and workshops, including a modern CAD/CAM centre, with several rapid prototyping machines, a laser cutter, multi-axis CNC machines, a water jet cutter, and a vacuum casting facility.