Product Design BA (Hons)

Course Content

• Course Details

  In your first year, you’ll dive straight into creative problem-solving and start building your design skills through exciting hands-on projects. You’ll work solo, in pairs, and as part of a team on workshop and studio-based challenges that push your creativity and critical thinking. From sketching and observational drawing to photography, and vector graphics, you’ll explore different ways to bring your ideas to life, shape your personal design style, and start curating a professional portfolio.

  You’ll also look at the history and evolution of product design, using this knowledge to inspire fresh, modern design solutions. In addition, we’ll train you in industry-standard CAD software so you can turn your sketches into 3D-print-ready models, technical drawings, and stunning photo-realistic visuals.

  By the end of Year One, you’ll have a strong creative toolkit and the confidence to take on the more specialist and advanced projects in the following year.

  In your second year, you’ll take your design skills to the next level through exciting real-world projects and professional development opportunities. You’ll tackle live briefs and competitions set by local, national, and international companies – giving you the chance to work on commercial challenges that boost your creativity, build your confidence, and sharpen your communication skills. You’ll deepen your understanding of product design by dissecting, analysing, and reimagining existing consumer products, learning what makes them succeed (or fail).

  Your CAD abilities will grow as you explore advanced modelling, simulation, and animation techniques. You’ll also get hands-on with emerging technologies, using AI to visualise future-facing concepts and developing app interfaces through UI/UX design.

  To round off the year, you’ll collaborate in a group to pitch a brand-new design business – complete with company identity, pricing, video show reel, and a realistic financial plan that includes profit and loss and cashflow forecasting.

  By your final year, you’ll be ready to take on your biggest challenge yet: the Major Design Project (MDP) – a self-driven venture that brings together everything you’ve learned into one comprehensive piece of work. Focused on new product development (NPD), this is your chance to design something you’re truly passionate about, following the full design journey from identifying a problem through to research, ideation, concept development, prototyping, evaluation, and high-quality 3D modelling.

  Alongside this, the Design Enterprise project will give you a deep dive into the entrepreneurial side of design – covering branding, marketing, financial forecasting, funding, and professional pitch-deck presentation. Think of it as your very own “Dragon’s Den” moment!

  Together, these final projects help you build a bold, career-ready portfolio that will grab the attention of employers in design, tech, digital, UI/UX, start-ups, and beyond.

  Studio culture is at the core of our programme, fostering creativity, collaboration, and critical debate. This dynamic environment inspires personal perspectives on design and equips you with the skills and mindset needed to thrive professionally in the creative industry.

  Product Design – the synthesis of creativity and functionality 

  List of modules

  • Stage 1
    • Design Project 1 (20 Credits)
    • Design Thinking (20 Credits)
    • Design Studio (20 Credits)
    • Design for Industry (20 Credits)
    • Design in Practice (20 Credits)
    • Design Visualisation (20 Credits)

    All modules in Year 1 are compulsory.

  • Stage 2
    • 3D Modelling and Manufacture (10 Credits)
    • 3D Modelling and Simulation (10 Credits)
    • Design Project 2 – Technology (20 Credits)
    • Design Project 2 – Production (20 Credits)
    • Design for Manufacture (20 Credits)
    • Design Futures (10 Credits)
    • Design Business (10 Credits)
    • User-centred Design (20 Credits)

    All modules in Year 2 are compulsory.

  • Stage 3
    • Major Design Project (60 Credits)
    • Major Design Project Research (20 Credits)
    • Design Enterprise (40 Credits)

    All modules in Year 3 are compulsory.

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• Student Perks

  At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.

  If you join this full time Product Design BA degree at the University of Northampton, you will receive a laptop when your course begins*. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.

  Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.

  To check out the full list of perks, visit our Student Perks page or dedicated International Perks page.

  *UK fee payers only (see Terms and Conditions for further details).

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• Integrated Foundation Year (IFY)

  The Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) offers a new and exciting route into studying for a degree in Product Design, attracting ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance.

  If you have non-standard qualifications or do not quite meet the admissions requirements we can offer you a fantastic opportunity to study a four year programme which includes an Integrated Foundation Year. The Integrated Foundation Year will help you develop the theoretical/practical and academic skills you need, in order to successfully progress to the full award.

  Our four-year courses will enable you to successfully follow the degree pathway of your choice while gaining essential study skills. The foundation year of your chosen degree will be studied on a full-time basis and is aimed at supporting the transition to higher education. Years two, three and four are then studied as a standard degree programme.

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• FAQs

  What specialist equipment will I need for the Product Design degree?

  To study on a Product Design degree, a high-specification laptop capable of running Adobe Creative Cloud and professional CAD software is essential. You will require a laptop, with the following specification:

  PC Laptop specification – preferred option:

  • CPU: Intel/AMD Processor scoring a single thread CPU Mark of 2,200 or higher. (Such as the AMD Ryzen 5 2600, Intel Core i7-4790 or better)
  • System Memory : 32GB (16GB minimum)
  • Graphics Card: a GPU scoring a G3D Mark of 14,000 or higher with up-to-date drivers. (Such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, AMD Radeon RX 5700XT, Quadro RTX 3000 or better)
  • Graphics Card Memory: 8GB or more
    Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
  • Hard Drive: 500GB SATA3 SSD or NVME m.2 storage
    Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit (up to date)
  • Wi‑Fi networking: 802.11ac

  MacBook specification with additional required software*:

  • CPU: Apple M1 chip (or Intel)
  • Memory: 32GB (16GB minimum)
  • Operating System: MacOS 11 Big Sur
  • Hard Drive: 500GB Solid State Drive (SSD) (256GB minimum)
  • Wi‑Fi networking: 802.11ac
  • Software*:  Windows 10 64-bit, Bootcamp and/or Parallels

  You will need to budget approximately £200 per academic year for extra materials to cover the costs of sketch books, marker pens, modelmaking materials, 3D printing, and 2D printing of presentation graphics. This amount is a guide based on what successful current students and recent graduates have spent and will depend upon the projects you choose to undertake.

  You will need to purchase, drawing and modelmaking equipment such as digital Vernier callipers, cutting tools, basic hand tools, plus a toolbox to contain them. A comprehensive list will be provided prior to starting the course.

  How will I be assessed on the Product Design BA?

  You will be continually assessed during during your degree in product design through studio-based design projects and written assignments. In the final year, you will have a minor design project and a final major project which will both be exhibition-based.

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