Product Design

Product design is the discipline concerned with developing objects and systems that serve human needs in ways that are functional, aesthetically considered and manufacturable. Good product design requires both the creative ability to generate and develop ideas and the technical understanding to know how those ideas can be realised: what materials can do, how manufacturing processes constrain and enable design choices, and how people actually interact with objects in their everyday lives. Studying product design means learning to hold artistic and engineering thinking in productive tension.

This part-time degree at Middlesex University includes a foundation year and a sandwich year with a work placement, giving you a structured academic entry into the discipline and substantial professional experience alongside your studies. Driven by a passion for understanding people and technology, the programme teaches you to develop innovative solutions to the challenges faced by both industry and society. You will develop skills in design research, user-centred design, CAD, prototyping, materials knowledge and the professional practices of product design, building a portfolio of work that demonstrates your creative and technical capabilities.

Graduates work in product design consultancies, in-house design teams, manufacturing companies, technology businesses and start-ups. Roles in product development, industrial design, user experience design and design management are all relevant destinations. The combination of design skills, technical knowledge and professional experience from the placement year makes graduates competitive across a wide range of design-facing employers.

The part-time structure means that graduates often have significant concurrent work experience alongside their studies, which further strengthens their employability. Further study at postgraduate level in product design, design engineering or human-centred design is an option for those wishing to develop specialist expertise.