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

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.

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

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.
An online interview where you'll present your digital portfolio

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.

An online interview, where you'll present your digital portfolio

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.

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

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.

"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

Read Anastasia's story

"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

Read Emric's story

"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

Read Bethany's story

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.
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
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.
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.
Ash Marlborough

DriveDry by Ash Marlborough. DriveDry discourages motorists from driving through dangerous floodwater.
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.
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.
Alex Field

PLCE Daysack by BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Alex Field. Designed for use in training establishments and marketed to the MOD.
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.