Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Product Design

Entry requirements


104 UCAS tariff from 2 A'Levels or equivalent

Access to HE Diploma

M:30

Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

T Level

M

104 UCAS tariff from 2 A'Levels or equivalent

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Product design

Product Design is the study of the whole creative design process – from idea to production. On this course you’ll study the aesthetic, human-centered and market-led requirements of product design to create products that are valued by the end user.

The curriculum balances both creative and technical aspects of contemporary design practices. You will focus on research insights, concept generation, three-dimensional design, product styling, brand definition, user interaction and the manufacturing process. You will also learn about sustainability and develop socially conscious products that reduce waste and conserve energy.

Benefit from the very latest physical and digital facilities in a studio environment that is designed to mimic professional practice. We will nurture you to become an industry-ready graduate who can provide innovative creative solutions to real-world challenges.

**Key features**
* This course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers – this enables you to work towards membership after graduation.

* Bring your ideas to life both digitally and physically with industry-standard tools that will enable you to produce digital designs, renders and animations as well as 3D artefacts in plastics, wood and metals.

* Gain professional experience with placement opportunities that have seen students work at prestigious names such as BMW, Hodges & Drake, Lewis Design Associates and Artform International.

* We work with industry to shape our curriculum and you will be taught by professionally-active staff who are involved in projects with global brands, as well as benefit from our in-house design consultancy.

* 90% of students were satisfied overall with the course (National Student Survey, 2022).

* Strengthen your portfolio by entering prestigious competitions and showcasing your work. Our students have recently been recognised in the Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) competition and have exhibited their projects at New Designers in London.

* The award-winning Vijay Patel Building provides both the space and the facilities for ideas to develop and flourish. We offer superb workshops including the latest in additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping equipment supported by expert technicians.

**If you are interested in advanced entry into Year 3 of this course, please visit the DMU website for the course details:** https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/pre-edu-2030/product-design-ba-degree/product-design-ba-degree.aspx

Modules

**First year**
Block 1: DMU Designer
Block 2: Advanced Product Design Skills
Block 3: Design Conception – Thinking and Methods
Block 4: Design Delivery

**Second year**
Block 1: DMU Designer 2
Block 2: Advanced Product Design Skills 2
Block 3: Design Communication and Definition
Block 4: Design Practice

**Third year**
Block 1: Design Practice 2
Block 2: Design Conception – Personal Project
Block 3: Design Development – Personal Project
Block 4: Design Delivery – Personal Project

Assessment methods

We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and course mates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment, and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life.

**Structure**
The curriculum is focused on developing professional practice skills and knowledge for a career in industrial product design for manufacture. You will study a broad range of areas including user-research, design methodologies, ergonomics, aesthetics, drawing, visual communication, interface, materials, manufacturing, technical specification, 2D and 3D CAD, sustainability, additive manufacturing, technology integration, team working and project management. You can determine your own design direction according to your passions and aspirations. We have seen students design a wearable sports tracking device, foldable electric scooter, augmented reality cycling helmet, urban beehive and sensory furniture to name just a few innovative projects.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, lab sessions, seminars, tutorials, workshops and self-directed study. There is a varied mix of assessment including: portfolios, group presentations, case study analysis, individual exercises, report writing, short form unseen exercises and essay writing.

You are taught by design academics, designers in residence and visiting design consultants with specialist knowledge and skills in product design. All our staff have worked in industry and carry out commercial activity and leading research. Visiting lecturers support week-long projects or run weekly seminars, tutorials or lecture series. Previous visiting lecturers have come from leading companies including Mosley&, Empathic, Redline Studios, Seymourpowell, Out of the Bubble Design and Retail Lab.

Our students have won many major awards in recent years including the prestigious D&AD Award for Product Design and the RSA Student Design Awards.

**Contact hours**
In your first year you will normally attend around 13 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 26 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
International
£15,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Leicester Campus

Department:

Arts, Design and Humanities

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

77%
Product design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
86%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
69%
Male students
31%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
17%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

44%
Design occupations
17%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£16k

£16k

£20k

£20k

£22k

£22k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Glyndwr University, Wrexham | Wrexham
Product Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 80-112
Nearby University
Coventry University | Coventry
Product Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here