More
productdesign-bsc-banner

Product Design BSc (Hons)

Industrial product design is combined with engineering design principles to develop your creative, innovative and technical skills in this degree course.

Overview

Nick Rowan our Senior Lecturer discuss why you should study Product Design at DMU.

Our Product Design course helps you to take your imaginative ideas and make them real. To do that you need both the creativity and the technical skills to bring your ideas to life.

On this course you’ll 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’ll look at specific areas including technology integration, computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D design, sustainability and design for manufacture, and be taught by academics with current industry connections.

Key features

  • Our course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers – this enables graduates to work towards membership.
  • Gain professional experience with industry professionals during an optional placement year. Our students have benefited from placements at BMW, Dyson, Cambridge Consultants and Jaguar Land Rover.
  • Boost your portfolio and profile by entering national and international competitions. We support students to do this by helping them apply their practical knowledge to real-world briefs and assisting with teamwork, motivation, and a review of learnings following competitions. Our students have previously won awards from D&AD, James Dyson and New Designers.
  • Learn from academic staff currently involved in commercial projects with companies such as Berghaus and Adidas.
  • 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 engineering laboratories that bring together a wide range of equipment used in design, manufacture, prototyping and testing.
  • We provide core workshop materials at no cost, and give cash awards – £150, £200 and £300 in years one, two and three respectively – to support personal materials/printing costs.*

See our student work

Student brochure Graduate showcase

More courses like this

Product Design BA (Hons)

Design Crafts BA (Hons)

Interior Design BA (Hons)

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: W242

Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Book an Open Day

Submit a study-related enquiry

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.

A good portfolio and normally:

  • Art and Design Foundation or
  • 112 points from at least 2 A ‘levels 
  • BTEC Extended Diploma DMM 
  • International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points 

Plus, five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above and Maths at grade 6 or above.

Alternative qualifications include:

  • Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) and Maths at grade B/6 or above.

We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course

We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English at grade C/4 or above, and Maths at grade B/6 or above.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Interview and portfolio

Applicants with relevant qualifications will be invited to submit a portfolio of work. Please see our portfolio advice page for full details.

Non-standard applicants may be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams with a portfolio.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Accreditation

 

First year

  • The Principles of Design
  • CAD for Product Designers 1
  • Electrical Principles 1
  • Electrical Principles 2
  • Mechanical Principles: Statics 
  • Mechanical Principles: Dynamics
  • Workshop Practice

Second year

  • Design Practise 2
  • CAD for Product Designers 2
  • Materials Engineering and Processing           
  • Project Management 
  • Applied Electronics 
  • Product Design

Third year

  • Industrial Design Projects
  • Product Communication and Career Launch Marketing
  • Electronic and Mechanical Systems

 

Click here for more detailed module information


Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Overview

The curriculum is focussed on vocational skills, engineering knowledge and intellectual development – encompassing a broad range of content from design, manufacturing to ethics. Coursework and examinations are the main methods of learning and assessment.

You will be taught by design academics and visiting design consultants with specialist knowledge and skills in either product or furniture design. Our staff have all worked in industry and carry out commercial activity and research. Visiting lecturers support week-long projects or conduct weekly seminars, tutorials or lecture series. Visiting lecturers include Steve Mosley (Director, Mosley&), Matthew Cockerill (Associate Design Director, Seymourpowell), Marcus Atkin (Director, Out of the Bubble Design), Martin Jones (Retail Lab), and designers and model makers from Redline Studios.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, 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.

 

Institution of Engineering Designers (IED)

ied-logo

Facilities and features

Art and design facilities

The award-winning Vijay Patel Building brings all of our art and design courses together providing inspiring, flexible spaces, studios and facilities which invite creativity and innovation.

The creative industries require imaginative graduates who can develop new ideas and products. Students use our state-of-the-art workshops, labs and studios to experiment and test in the same way they will in industry, while the open and transparent spaces in the building encourage collaboration between disciplines. In doing so, the building supports students to be both ready for industry and future leaders in their respective fields. 

Take a look at our stunning showcase of the building at dmu.ac.uk/aad.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Campus Centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team. 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
placements-img-01

Placements

This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career, through a placement. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future.

We have excellent industry links, ensuring you work on relevant projects and clients briefs to grow your experience and build your external reputation before you graduate. This invaluable experience can enrich student capabilities and their final-year projects. Recent placements include Bosch, BMW, and JCB.

Students on the #DMUglobal trip to New York

DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global you can take advantage of a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Students on this course have recently undertaken DMU Global trips to European cities including Copenhagen, where they explored first-hand historical and contemporary Danish design, and Berlin, which provided the opportunity to examine the city’s art, artists and museums to gain a broader design perspective. DMU Global trips have also taken students further afield to New York.

graduate-careers-img-01

Graduate careers

Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of areas within industrial product design, including marketing, industrial design consultancy, user experience consultancy and project planning, product design and furniture design. Recent employers include BMW, Dyson, ASSEAL and JCB

Take your next steps

More from DMU