Industrial Design with Placement Year
Industrial design is the discipline concerned with the development of products and systems that are functional, usable, aesthetically considered and manufacturable. It sits between engineering and art, requiring both the technical understanding to know how things are made and the creative sensibility to make them work well for the people who use them. Industrial designers work on everything from consumer electronics and household appliances to medical devices, transport systems and public infrastructure, and they play a crucial role in the early stages of product development where ideas are generated, tested and refined.
At Brunel University London, this four-year programme with a placement year is designed for creative and practical thinkers who prefer to learn through building and evaluating project-based challenges, with a technological understanding and a hands-on approach. You will develop your design skills through projects that take ideas from initial concept through prototyping to evaluation, building competence in the full design process alongside the technical knowledge to understand how products are manufactured. The placement year provides extended professional experience in a design organisation, giving you significant industry knowledge and professional contacts before you graduate.
Brunel's strong reputation in design and its London location provide a rich professional context for the programme.
Industrial design graduates work across consumer products, automotive and transport, electronics, healthcare technology, packaging, furniture and a wide range of other product sectors. Common roles include product designer, design engineer, UX designer, design researcher and creative director. Many work in design consultancies, manufacturing companies, technology firms and public sector organisations.
Postgraduate study in industrial design, design engineering, product innovation or user experience design is available for those who want to develop a research practice or deepen their specialist expertise. The combination of creativity, technical knowledge and professional experience that the programme develops is highly valued by employers across design-intensive industries.