Product Design
Product design is the creative and technical discipline concerned with designing objects, systems, and services that solve real human problems with intelligence and care. It requires designers who can research user needs, generate and test ideas, understand materials and manufacturing processes, engage with sustainability, and communicate proposals clearly. At its best, product design is both an art and an engineering discipline, integrating aesthetic judgment with rigorous understanding of how things are made and how they are used.
This part-time programme at Sheffield Hallam includes a foundation year for those who need additional academic preparation, as well as a placement year that gives you the opportunity to gain professional experience in a design environment. The programme takes a global perspective on design practice, preparing you to identify creative opportunities and respond to them empathetically, sustainably, and collaboratively. You will work on real-world projects and explore new materials, processes, and systems, developing both the conceptual thinking and the practical skills that professional designers need.
Studying part time makes the programme accessible to those who are already working in design-related roles or who have other commitments.
Graduates of product design programmes work across an exceptionally wide range of contexts, including consumer electronics, furniture, medical devices, transport, packaging, and the broader creative industries. Many work in design agencies or in-house design teams within product companies, while others move into service design, design management, or innovation consultancy. The sustainability orientation that Sheffield Hallam builds into the programme is increasingly valued by employers and clients who are under growing pressure to design products and systems that minimise environmental impact.
Further study in product design, design engineering, or sustainable design is a natural extension for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.