BSc(Hons) Product Design Technology (with Foundation Year)

This module will provide a supportive introduction to university-level creative study through active and playful engagement with traditional, digital and virtual tools, processes and equipment. You'll experiment with materials, technologies and approaches to making, learning how sources of inspiration and influence can develop themes, ideas and concepts. Structured project briefs will introduce research, creative production and documentation, while reflective and evaluative activities will build your analytical and critical thinking skills. You'll work in an interdisciplinary studio environment and learn how to access university academic, wellbeing and disability support.

Building on earlier creative study, this module will support you to undertake longer projects with greater independence and scope for discovery. You'll develop ideas through drawing, research, experimentation and visual storytelling, documenting your progress from initial concepts to a range of creative outcomes. Collaborative activities will help you reflect on your contribution, while a more self-directed investigation will encourage you to explore personally meaningful themes. You'll consider audience, client or viewer, investigate appropriate ways to present project work, and strengthen your planning, decision-making, reflective practice and creative independence.

In this module, you'll plan, organise and complete a major project in your chosen creative specialism. Beginning with a proposal negotiated with staff, you'll develop an extended body of work that applies the skills and confidence gained across the course. Research, seminar discussion and critique will help you connect your practice with relevant professional and disciplinary contexts. As your project develops, you'll consider audience, client or viewer, select suitable materials and technical processes, and refine your outcome for exhibition, screening, publication or online distribution. You'll also explore sustainable making and relevant health and safety considerations.

This module will introduce you to the cultures, environments and foundational skills of your chosen creative discipline. Through programme-specific teaching, you'll explore core concepts and ways of thinking, investigating and making that will prepare you for study at the next level. A short project will give you opportunities to connect research with creative practice and develop original work using approaches appropriate to your subject. You'll document your ideas and progress visually, add reflective and analytical commentary, and build confidence through discussion, critique and one-to-one guidance within your disciplinary community.

This module introduces you to the subject of design and a suite of different cross-discipline design methods, supporting you to think about design holistically and understand its broader remit and application.

This studio module will introduce core interior design practices through project-based exploration. You'll develop ideas in response to briefs, using research, experimentation and iterative design to investigate relationships between people, space, material and context. Drawing, modelling and visual communication will help you test and present spatial proposals, while studio discussion and feedback will support critical reflection. You'll build confidence in making design decisions, documenting your process and selecting appropriate methods and materials, establishing practical and conceptual foundations for later interior design study.

This module will develop the communication skills used to explore and present design ideas. You'll work with a range of two-dimensional, three-dimensional and digital methods, which may include drawing, modelling, photography and computer-based visualisation. Through practical exercises, you'll learn how to select suitable techniques for different stages of the design process, from initial observation and concept development to resolved presentation. The module will strengthen your visual literacy, technical confidence and ability to communicate spatial, material and contextual information clearly to different audiences.

In this module, you'll explore the mechanical and structural principles that influence how products work. Applied project work will introduce forces, moments, equilibrium, mechanisms, machines, work, energy and power, alongside stress, strain, torsion, beams and frames. Topics may also include springs, pressure, friction, centre of gravity, balance and buckling. Through mathematical analysis, observation and physical prototyping, you'll develop the ability to investigate behaviour, identify constraints and apply technical understanding when creating and evaluating mechanisms and structures within design projects.

You'll develop a future-orientated mindset for design, rooted in an understanding of the evolving and complex nature of global challenges. This module emphasises the role of design in addressing global challenges through interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration.

This studio module will develop your creative practice through a sequence of design projects. You'll respond to briefs by researching contexts, generating ideas, testing possibilities and refining outcomes through an iterative process. Studio activity will help you connect conceptual thinking with practical making, while tutorials, discussion and feedback will support critical development. You'll consider how decisions about form, materials, users, communication and presentation shape a project. By managing increasingly complex work, you'll strengthen your independence, visual communication and ability to resolve and present coherent design proposals.

This module will build your product design engineering knowledge through project-based learning. You'll apply mathematical, mechanical and electronic engineering principles to design problems, developing physical and digital prototypes to test ideas. Topics may include physical computing, electronic components, failure analysis and approaches to extending product lifespan. You'll use appropriate methods such as hand calculations, two-dimensional techniques, computational analysis, finite element analysis, CAD and digital prototyping. Throughout, you'll learn to recognise technical risk and select suitable engineering methods for particular design challenges.

This module will develop the detailed design and communication skills needed to enable products to be manufactured to the correct specifications. You'll investigate material properties and processes across polymers, metals, ceramics, composites and other materials, considering forming, moulding, casting, fabrication, assembly, finishes and quality assurance. Through research, prototyping and testing, you'll evaluate ideas with stakeholders and user groups and use feedback to inform final decisions. Sustainability, colour, material and texture will help you consider both technical performance and visual or tactile experience.

Through the production of work that could take the form of still or moving image, practice, sound or writing, you'll develop your critical and creative thinking skills - connecting practical outcomes to a deeper analytical, theoretical and contextual backdrop.

This module will provide the opportunity to complete an independent major design project that reflects your chosen professional direction. Working from a self-written brief, you'll develop ideas through critical research, concept generation, experimentation and prototyping before producing a resolved design outcome. The project encourages creative confidence, independent decision-making and an awareness of social and environmental considerations within design practice. By drawing on knowledge developed across your programme, you'll strengthen your ability to communicate complex ideas and deliver innovative solutions to a professional standard.

This module will help you consolidate the research, design practice and professional skills developed throughout your studies. Taking a holistic approach to your work, you'll refine and present materials that support future career progression and demonstrate your readiness for professional practice. Activities may include the development of portfolios, exhibitions, marketing materials, professional profiles and research documentation. Through studio-based learning, tutorials and critical discussion, you'll strengthen your ability to communicate design ideas, engage with diverse perspectives and position your work within wider professional contexts.

This module will examine the relationship between innovation, technology and contemporary product design practice. Through advanced design projects, you'll explore how emerging technologies, materials and processes can be applied to address complex future-facing challenges. Topics may include prototype development, product specification, ergonomics, manufacturing considerations, mechanical design and advanced computational techniques. Supported by project-based learning and technical investigation, you'll develop systematic approaches to design problem-solving while strengthening your ability to create and communicate innovative technology-driven solutions.