University of Brighton
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Product Design with Professional Experience
BSc(Hons)

  • Course summary and entry requirements

    Course duration Help

    Full-time: 3 years

    Part-time: 4 years (max 8 years)

    With placement year 4 years

    UCAS code W242

    Professional accreditation

    This course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED).

    About the course

    Product design is the process by which an object or service is conceived, made tangible and brought to market.

    This can be a complex process and product designers are frequently required to demonstrate expertise in an broad range of fields, combining creative insight with business acumen and engineering knowledge.

    This course, which is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED), offers you the opportunity to develop the broad range of skills and knowledge required for successful product design practice.

    Typical entry requirements Help

    The entry requirements listed here are for students starting their course in 2014. Entry requirements for students thinking about starting a course in 2013 can be found in the online prospectus. Individual offers may vary

    A-levels:
    ABB including a suitable technology-based subject.

    BTEC
    DDD.

    International Baccalaureate:
    34 points, specified subjects.

    Access to HE Diploma
    pass (at least 45 credits at level 3), with 30 credits at merit or distinction.

    GCSE (minimum grade C) or Access Equivalent
    at least five subjects including English language, mathematics and a physical science.

    Foundation degree/HND
    may enable you to start the course in year 2.

    For non-native speakers of English:
    IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

    Other:
    Recognised foundation programme in relevant area or relevant professional experience will be considered.

  • Course content

    Course structure

    Project work is fundamental to the course. Projects are supported by subject modules in areas such as engineering and technology, human user design, and communication skills such as CAD and modelling. Subject modules are delivered through lectures, workshops, labs, tutorials, seminars and practical design work. This provides a dynamic and engaging learning experience which becomes increasingly more sophisticated as you progress through each year.

    As part of your course, you will have access to a professional design studio and the use of facilities such as the Brighton Creativity Centre, the Design Council Archive and a variety of specialist workshops and laboratories.

    Areas of study

    Year 1 of the course provides a foundation of technology fundamentals, professional design practice and communication skills. Particular emphasis is placed on the way that people and products interact through, for example, the study of culture, society, ergonomics and aesthetics. These subjects are explored again in year 2 but from different perspectives and with an increasingly more sophisticated and deeper level of understanding.

    In year 3 you are encouraged to undertake a year of work experience. This experience can prove invaluable in shaping your final year choices and career paths. Students have worked with manufacturing and design consultancies such as Jaguar Land Rover Ltd, Nokia, Mars Ltd and PDD.

    The final year focuses even more heavily on learning through practical project work which is exhibited locally and nationally on completion. Final year project themes are often industrially generated through working in conjunction with both small and large organisations. There is also an opportunity to choose from a selection of career-enhancing course options and opportunities for further study in product innovation at postgraduate level.

    Syllabus

    Year 1
    Design project
    Professional Practice
    Design Communication
    Design Technology
    Design Studies
    Historical and Critical Studies

    Year 2
    Design project
    Professional Practice
    Design Communication
    Design Technology
    Design Studies
    Historical and Critical Studies

    Year 3
    Optional industrial placement

    Final year
    Design projects
    Professional Practice
    Design option

    You can view the programme specification for this course as a PDF file by clicking on the link below:

    Programme Specification

  • Fees and costs

    The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2013-14. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

    The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

    What's included in the fee?

    When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

    You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

    Our website www.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

    BSc Hons Product Design with Professional Experience  [P1EG028]
    UK/EU 9,000 GBP
    Island Students 9,000 GBP
    International 12,900 GBP

    If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is currently £750 for Home and Island Students and £1,760 for International students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

  • Location

    Location Help Moulsecoomb

    Located to the north of Brighton city centre, the Moulsecoomb campus offers students an excellent learning environment and a wide range of facilities. It is the largest of our five campuses with over 8,000 students.

    View campus maps and directions

    Living in Brighton

    Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.

    Social scene

    Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

    Music event on the beach

    Arts

    The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.

    Burning the Clocks winter solstice festival

    Sports

    Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.

    Playing volleyball on the seafront

  • Student views

    Clare Colbourn

    The teaching level has been excellent and I have had the opportunity to investigate one of the real-life robots from Robot Wars. That was a fantastic lecture!

    Emily Brooke

    "I have genuinely loved my course!  It has a strong professional leaning, which I particularly enjoy, and feel has equipped me extremely well to enter the 'real world'.  It is also the business side of design I am keen to be involved in, and why this course is also so exciting to me!"

    For her final year project Emily invented a device that projects a bright green laser image of a bike onto the road ahead – alerting motorists and to their presence. Her invention is being hailed as a potential life saver and has won her a place at a prestigious USA college on an Entrepreneurship Programme. BLAZE is a small, battery-powered device that attaches to the handlebars of bicycles, motorcycles or scooters, and projects a laser image ahead onto the road. A bright green bicycle symbol travels ahead of the cyclist, alerting others to its presence. It has the option to be flashing, maximising perception, and is visible even in daylight. 
    "I wanted to tackle the issue of safety of cyclists on city streets by increasing the visibility, footprint, and ultimately the awareness of the bicycle. Eighty per cent of cycle accidents occur when bicycles travel straight ahead and a vehicle manoeuvres into them. The most common contributory factor is 'failed to look properly' on the part of a vehicle driver. The evidence shows the bike simply is not seen on city streets. Even when lit up like a Christmas tree a bicycle in a bus's blind-spot is still invisible. With BLAZE, you see the bike before the cyclist and I believe this could really make a difference in the key scenarios threatening cyclists' lives on the roads. I'm extremely grateful to BeePurple, who I think offer a fantastic service.  I initially approached them for advice on protecting my concept and taking out a patent, which led on to applying for the Award, which led to this opportunity."
     

  • Career opportunities

    The cross-disciplinary nature of the course equips you with the ability to meet the demand for design and innovation in a wide variety of industrial professions ranging from traditional manufacturing and design consultancy through to creative industries.

    Visit the careers service website.

Applying for 2013 entry

We have limited places available on this course.

Please call us for advice 01273 644644

International applicants should call
+44 (0)207 250 6749

Application process
Book your open day place
Find out more

01273 642428
Email cemadmissions@brighton.ac.uk

If you are an international student, contact us on:

+44 (0) 207 250 6749
international@brighton.ac.uk

 

Visit the school that delivers this course

Read the subject brochure