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The information on this page relates to the four design programmes:

• Industrial Design and Technology
• Design and Innovation for Sustainability
• Interaction Design
• Product Design in Business

These programmes offer four named routes designed to improve the effectiveness of designers within industry and to enable both recent graduates and current practitioners to advance core design knowledge and specialist skills to a higher level.

These programmes aim to develop further students’ critical awareness of major issues in design practice, hence increasing their value to current and potential employers. They will develop students’ skills in producing a balanced portfolio of high quality designs and innovative thinking which will enable them to deal with complex and inter-related issues both analytically and creatively.

The collection of modules offered enables students to develop skills and competencies in the creative and/or analytical aspects of design whilst working with a diverse range of people. It is the balance and focus of these skills and competencies that characterise the different named programmes.

The programmes can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis.

Compulsory Modules

On each route, students study five compulsory modules, two of which are route-specific. The three compulsory modules common to all programmes are:

Semester 1

• Design Practice
• Research Methods for Design Ergonomics

Semester 2

• Cross Disciplinary Group Project

Compulsory modules: Industrial Design & Technology route

Semester 1

• I.D Skills

Semester 2

• Design Practice
• Compulsory modules: I.D. Workshop Skills
• Industrial Design Major Project

Compulsory modules: Design & Innovation for Sustainability

Semester 1

• Sustainable Design

Semester 2

• Advanced Methods & Tools for Sustainable Design
• Design for sustainable behaviour
• Sustainable Design Major Project

Compulsory modules: Interaction Design route

Semester 1

• Experience Design

Semester 2

• Software Development Tools and Methods
• Interactive Products and Prototyping
• Interaction Design Major Project

Compulsory modules: Product Design in Business route

Semester 1

• Business and Brand 1

Semester 2

• Business and Brand 2
• New Product Development
• Product Design in Business Major Project

Assessment

Modules provided by the Department will be assessed by coursework only.

Entry Qualification*

Industrial Design and Technology and Design in Business

First degree or equivalent in industrial design or closely related subject. A lower level qualification with appropriate industrial experience may also be considered.

Entry also depends on a suitable portfolio of design work which should include manual sketching, rendering, CAD drawings and photos of any physical models made. Work may be submitted as hardcopy or digital images on CD/DVD.

Interaction Design

First degree or equivalent in design at upper second class level. Those with a human science or computing degree or other related degrees will be considered if they can demonstrate a portfolio of relevant previous work. A lower level qualification with appropriate industrial experience may also be considered.

Design and Innovation for Sustainability

A first or upper second class UK Honours degree in a relevant discipline, or the international equivalent of these UK qualifications. A lower level qualification with appropriate industrial experience may also be considered.

A design or engineering background is not essential, we encourage applicants from a wide range of disciplines who have an interest in innovative sustainable design and the desire to think differently about how to achieve it.

Careers and Further Study

The courses aim to develop design research skills in design students and practitioners, through an extended Masters project. This may be used as a platform to study for a research degree or to enhance skills in a practitioner.

Sponsorships and Scholarships

The programmes are eligible for a number of competitive external scholarship schemes including those from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.