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Product Design at NTU: Which course is right for you?

What is Product Design?

Product design is a discipline, a unique one where creativity and technology meet, and innovation thrives. We’ll give you the tools you’ll need to develop as a creative and analytical thinker, and the freedom to discover and develop your own individual design style, vision and philosophy.

What is the difference between our courses?

BSc (Hons) Product Design focuses on the underlying technology of product design, exploring the design of sustainable products for manufacturing, digital, industrial, electronics, and medical applications.

BA (Hons) Product Design focuses on the design of products, systems and services, including consumer goods, digital and electronic devices, sustainable products, sports, medical and healthcare equipment, packaging, and transportation.

BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design specifically focuses on furniture, lighting and interior/ exterior sustainable products for the home and contract markets.

Entry requirements differ for each course and you need to submit a portfolio and attend an interview for our BA Product Design and BA Furniture and Product Design courses. You will not need to submit a portfolio or attend an interview for the BSc Product Design course.

Course length

Three years full-time or four years with a sandwich year.

Entry requirements

  • A-levels – BBC; or
  • BTEC Extended Diploma – DMM; or
  • 112 UCAS Tariff points from three A-levels or equivalent qualifications; and
  • GCSEs – English and Maths grade C / 4.

Key modules

  • Design Fundamentals
  • The Developing Design Technologist
  • Applied Design Technology
  • Professional Practice
  • Applied Materials and Technology

Sandwich year

In your third year, you'll have the opportunity to take a year-long, full-time placement.

This year in industry will offer you hands-on experience, adding invaluable knowledge and skills to your CV. Many students return to their placement company after graduation, having developed a useful network of contacts within the industry. Recent placement destinations have included Triumph Motorcycles, Aevena (USA), Demand, and Bentley Motors Ltd

You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise

Professional progression

NTU has a strong product design alumni community with many graduates working in senior positions in leading national and international companies.

Recent graduate destinations include Dyson, Triumph, TATA, Cummins Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover, Solid Solutions, AECOM, Brett Martin, Harkess-Ord and Accuride.

Visit our course page to find out more.

Course length

Three years full-time or four years with a sandwich year.

Entry requirements

Key modules

  • Design Fundamentals
  • The Developing Product Designer
  • Applied Product Design Practice
  • Professional Practice
  • Product Design: Context and Identity

Sandwich year

In your third year, you'll have the opportunity to take a year-long, full-time placement.

Students typically gain placements in product design companies across the UK and abroad. Recent destinations have included: Disney, Nestlé and Tesco. There are a wide variety of jobs available within the industry. The majority of our students have worked as packaging and design interns and in product development roles

You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise

Professional progression

Graduates from this course include design engineers, product designers, CAD designers and visualisation managers. Recent destinations include Sony, Mothercare, Games Workshop and LEGO.

Visit our course page to find out more.

Course length

Three years full-time or four years with a sandwich year.

Entry requirements

  • A-levels – BBC; or
  • BTEC Extended Diploma – DMM; or
  • 112 UCAS Tariff points from three A-levels or equivalent qualifications; and
  • GCSEs – English and Maths grade C / 4.

Key modules

  • Design Fundamentals
  • Furniture and Product Design: Context and Identity
  • Professional Practice
  • The Developing Furniture and Product Designer
  • Design in Practice
  • Design in Context

Sandwich year

In your third year, you'll have the opportunity to take a year-long, full-time placement.

Many students return to their placement company after graduation, having developed a useful network of contacts within the industry.

Recent placement destinations have included Sawaya & Mironi (Milan), Modus Furniture, Object Design and more, working in roles such as trainee designer, CAD/CAM technician, junior designer and planner, amongst more. The majority of their roles include salaries, with some students earning up to £18,000 for their year.

You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise

Professional progression

NTU has a strong product design alumni community, with many graduates working in senior positions in leading national and international companies. Recent graduate destinations include John Lewis, Nestlé, Benchmark and DFS.

Visit our course page to find out more.

What are the similarities between our courses?

  • All our courses are accredited
  • Each course offers a placement year option
  • All courses have great industry links and offer the multiple opportunities to work on live projects
  • All of these courses allow you exhibit your work in your final year Showcase
  • They are all based on our City Campus in the heart of Nottingham
  • All give you access to our world-class facilities

What are the options after I graduate?

All of our courses have a great track record in terms careers and employability. Our graduates have gone on to work in companies such as Sony, Mothercare, LEGO, John Lewis and Nestlé.

We have a dedicated employability team to help you along the way!

We also have a number of postgraduate courses linking on from each of our undergraduate courses.

 

An introduction to Product Design at NTU

Principal Lecturer, Chris Lamerton, talk you through our courses.

Don’t take our word for it, hear from our students’ and how they are finding the courses…

"I have completed two placements for my course, one at Logitech HQ in Silicon Valley and second one at design consultancy LAYER in London. Placement experience took my 3D modelling and technical theory skill to an entirely new level."

Anastasia Klimova, BA (Hons) Product Design

"I would 100% recommend our course to anyone looking to study Furniture and Product Design as it is one of the best universities in the country for design."

Emric John-Sawyer, BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design

"There’s lots of staff involved with teaching and supporting the course. We’re quite a small course and so have a close-knit relationship with the academic staff and always feel comfortable to ask for help and advice."

Bethany Wignall, BA (Hons) Product Design

Take a look at our students work…

  • Guaro by Chris Barnes, BA (Hons) Product Design
    Chris Barnes
    Guaro by Chris Barnes: a breathalyser designed for social environments to encourage people to behave more responsibly when it comes to drink-driving.
  • The Keyser Kit by BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Ben Keyser.
    Ben Keyser
    The Keyser Kit by BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Ben Keyser. The Keyser Kit creates a solution to help people who suffer with dexterity issues continue the hobby they love
  • The Fraxinus table by BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student, Ralph Shuttleworth.
    Ralph Shuttleworth
    The Fraxinus table by BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student, Ralph Shuttleworth. The Fraxinus table is a business lobby table which celebrates the Ash trees which are threatened by Ash Dieback throughout Britain.
  • ASCENT by BA (Hons) Product Design student, Cameron Watson
    Cameron Watson
    ASCENT by Cameron Watson. With the potential of Mars colonisation, Ascent Extra Terrestrial Footwear is designed to ensure comfort for astronauts on ambitious missions.
  • DriveDry by BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Ash Marlborough.
    Ash Marlborough
    DriveDry by Ash Marlborough. DriveDry discourages motorists from driving through dangerous floodwater.
  • Neap by BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student,Lauren Dyer.
    Lauren Dyer
    Neap by BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student,Lauren Dyer. Neap is a sustainable furniture range displaying an innovative seaweed-based material, Aligte, aiming to change the linear relationship with materials that we see in the industry today.
  • ROADIE by BA (Hons) Product Design student, Sam Travis
    Sam Travis
    ROADIE by BA (Hons) Product Design student, Sam Travis. Sam has designed the first universal hard case for musicians, tackling the problems that small bands face when touring.
  • PLCE Daysack by BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Alex Field.
    Alex Field
    PLCE Daysack by BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Alex Field. Designed for use in training establishments and marketed to the MOD.
  • The Potters Chair by BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student, Darcy Hill
    Darcy Hill
    The Potters Chair by BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student, Darcy Hill. The main function of this chair is to work alongside a potter’s wheel.