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Key facts

Entry requirements

112 or DMM

Full entry requirements

UCAS code

W242

Institution code

D26

Duration

3 yrs full-time, 4 yrs with placement

Three years full-time, four years full-time with placement. Six years part-time.

Fees

2025/26 UK tuition fees:
£9,535*

Entry requirements

UCAS code

W242

Duration

Three years full-time, four years full-time with placement. Six years part-time.

This course is professionally accredited, meaning your learning is informed by current industry practice.

We offer more than a degree — every course is designed with employability and real-world experience at its core.

DMU is one of the few universities where you’ll benefit from a unique block teaching approach.

90% of students were satisfied overall with the course (National Student Survey, 2024)

Turn your imaginative ideas into real-world solutions through a balance of creative and technical skills. This course empowers you to take a technological approach to designing and developing functional, market-driven, and innovative products.

Bring your ideas to life both digitally and physically with industry standard tools that will enable you to produce digital designs, images and animations as well as 3D prototypes in plastics, wood and metal.

Current industry insight feeds into your learning and we will support you to become an industry-ready graduate who can deploy technologically creative design solutions across a range of industries.

  • 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 secured placements with prestigious companies like Shark/Ninja, MoD, BAE systems, BMW, and Lewis Design Associates.
  • 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.
  • Many of our graduates thrive in a range of exciting roles for global brands like Aston Martin, Triumph, Dyson, and Magmatic, while others launch successful businesses.

Accreditation

IED logo

Institution of Engineering Designers (IED)

This course, accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED), sets you on the path to professional chartership, empowering you to shape the future of design and innovation.

Our next Open Day is on
Saturday 28 June

Join us in 14 days and 12 hours.

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Degree Show

2025

This course will be exhibiting at the 2025 Degree Show, for more information visit our event page.

What you will study

Block 1: DMU Designer

This module delivers the core skills of a Product Designer, which are: Drawing, Digital Drawing, Proof of Principle model making, Workshop Activities, Electronic engineering, and Mechanical engineering - you will engage in a project in each of these areas. The culmination of this module will be your entry portfolio which you will review with your personal tutor.

Assessment: 100% portfolio.

Block 2: Advanced Technology for Designers

You will focus on the engineering fundamentals of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. These skills will be taught through delivered theory and experiential projects to allow you to develop detail proof of principal rigs to prove your future designs. These subject specific skills will later be called upon to enhance future design work in other modules. 

Block 3: Design Conception – Thinking and Methods

This module covers both the Discover and the Define stages of the Design Council’s Double Diamond Design Process and will focus on core skills like Ethics, Good Research Practices, user profiling, Product Design Specification (PDS) Development and Concept Generation. This module will encourage you to engage with others, develop essential listening practices and will provide strategic tools to allow you to progress a researched idea into a defined Brief, Aims and Objectives.

Assessment: 50% report and 50% portfolio.

Block 4: Design Delivery

The scope of this module covers both the Develop and the Deliver stages of the Design Council’s Double Diamond Design Process and will focus on core skills like Proof of Principle (POP) rig development, Design for Manufacture (DFM), Sustainability, Testing and Presentation Skills. This module focuses on developing industry ready graduates who can balance the current limitations of DFM with the future needs of a sustainable world.

Assessment: 80% portfolio and 20% presentation.

Block 1: DMU Designer

A large portion of this module focuses on Professional Practice, helping you become industry ready and enabling you to apply for placements and work experience. Again, there is a strong emphasis on engagement with personal tutors, allowing you to personalise learning outcomes to focus on the industry areas of importance to you and group work, teaching you collaborative and real-world skills.

Assessment: 100% portfolio.

Block 2: Advanced Technology for Designers 2

This module builds on your subject specific knowledge gained in the first year – you will focus on advanced engineering practices in the fields of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. These skills will be taught through delivered theory and experiential projects to allow you to develop detail proof of principal rigs to prove your future designs. These subject specific skills will later be called upon to enhance future design work, particularly in your final year.

Block 3: Design Communication and Definition

This module will focus on design products which are manufacturable utilising current and future technologies with an awareness of sustainable and commercial interests. You will focus on delivering these core skills through a fun project, encompassing a review of current and future technologies, innovative manufacturing techniques, ergonomic constraints, and full industry ready specification. Including ID Spec Drawings, CMF Documentation and Product Pitching Skills.

Assessment: 80% portfolio and 20% presentation.

Block 4: Design Practice

This module provides an opportunity to synthesise the skills you have learnt in the programme so far and deliver them through a client pitched brief. This supported design project will allow you to investigate what project management techniques work for you in a supported environment, allowing you to learn what techniques work best for you as a designer before moving either into a placement year or your final year.

Assessment: 80% portfolio and 20% presentation.

As part of this course, you will have the option to complete a paid placement year which offers invaluable professional experience.

Our award-winning Careers Team can help you secure a placement through activities such as mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and you will be assigned a personal tutor to support you throughout your placement.

Block 1: Design Practice 2

This design sprint is aligned to the Royal Society of Art’s (RSA’s) design briefs. This allows you the opportunity to engage with, and design for, real world and societal challenges - utilising your skills to make the world a better place. This project is seen as more conceptual than many of the other more practical projects within your design portfolio and allows an opportunity for you to create a broader graduate portfolio. The work of this module will also be an excellent stepping stone to inform your design decisions in the next module, Personal Design Project.

Assessment: 80% portfolio and 20% presentation.

Block 2: Design Conception - Personal Project

This module explores the conception stage of your Personal Design Project. The scope of this module covers both the Discover and the Define stages of the Design Council’s Double Diamond Design Process and will focus on the development of a Product Design Specification (PDS) for your major project and a series of concepts that align with the Brief, Aims and Objectives set out within the PDS. This module will encourage you to engage with others, deploy essential listening practices and will utilise strategic tools to allow you to progress through the next two modules.

Assessment: 50% report, 30% portfolio and 20% presentation.

Block 3: Design Development - Personal Project

This module will encompass most of the design work of this project and will allow you the opportunity to take the concepts developed in the previous module through to a realised product proposal. You should demonstrate the majority of the tools in your Designer Tool Kit, including but not exclusively: Development Sketching, CAD, DFM, Proof of Principle Model Making, Rendering and Animation. This work will also provide the bulk of your graduate design portfolio.

Assessment: 100% portfolio.

Block 4: Design Delivery - Personal Project

You will be asked to deliver and present your final design proposal developed through the previous two modules. This will consist of a final opportunity to practice pitching your design prior to you presenting your design publicly at the DMU Art and Design Degree Show and a final condensed, graduate level portfolio of your work so far. The latter half of this module focuses on employability, developing a full graduate level portfolio of your work throughout the programme, helping design and build your Degree Show and having mock interviews with your personal tutors.

Assessment: 80% portfolio and 20% presentation.

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

The curriculum is focussed 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.

Product Design in the spotlight

Student work

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Our facilities

Benefit from the very latest physical and digital facilities in a studio environment that is designed to mimic professional practice. You’ll have access to 25 sector-leading workshops, and industry-standard tools that will enable you to produce digital designs, images and animations as well as 3D prototypes in plastics, wood and metal.

Vijay Patel Building

Our award-winning Vijay Patel Building is a hub of creativity and innovation, offering cutting-edge facilities designed specifically for Arts, Design and Humanities students. With state-of-the-art workshops, labs, and studios, you'll bring your ideas to life in spaces that mirror professional industry settings. Open, transparent environments foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, empowering you to experiment, design, and thrive in an inspiring atmosphere. Take a look at our stunning showcase of the building at

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Our expertise

Profile picture for Kyungeun Sung

Kyungeun Sung

Senior Lecturer in Product Design

With over 20 years of experience in design, Sung’s research specialises in upcycling and the circular economy, sustainable design, and green transitions. She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed works and edited two influential books on upcycling and net zero, published by Routledge and Springer.

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Chris Whittaker

Product Design BA/BSc Programme Lead

Chris has over 33 years of commercial Product Design experience. He has designed more than 250 products for customers, including BT, HP, Toshiba, Freeplay Energy, Binatone, Argos, and John Lewis's own brand products. He specialises in all areas of Product Design, especially visual language, Professional practice, DFM, 3D CAD, and visualisation.

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Alan Crummey

Senior Lecturer in Product Design

Alan has worked in several product design consultancies throughout his career, working on award-winning projects such as trucks, trains, medical products, toys, furniture, and merchandising. Alan brings this range of experience to his teaching, in which he specialises in Design thinking, Concept generation and 3D brand development.

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Andrew Wardle

Senior Lecturer in Product Design

Since graduating from DMU 33 years ago, Andy has worked solely in consultancy, designing for clients such as Triumph, BSA, Flymo, Rangemaster and Mattel. He currently runs his own consultancy, which informs his teaching. Andy's specialism is in 3D form development, design for manufacture and professional practice.

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Lionel Dean

Reader in Digital Arts

Lionel’s area of research is the creative use of digital technologies, specifically 3D printing. He focuses on what creatives can achieve using technology to create the final artefact. Lionel’s teaching expertise follows his research using digital technologies to create a product's final form and aesthetic appearance.

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Nick Rowan

Senior Lecturer in Product Design

Nick has a background in industrial design and acoustic engineering, managing and testing site installations for clients like PwC and Rothchild’s Bank. At DMU, he has led strategic projects which have helped to establish innovation labs within the UK and in the Gambia. His research focuses on how design thinking and pedagogies and how this can help facilitate student focused engaging education.

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Simon Lambert

Senior lecturer in Product Design

Simon has worked on a wide range of projects, including medical devices and HVAC Products for domestic and commercial environments. He has been involved in multiple projects, offering turnkey solutions for small and batch production across various design sectors, including product, retail, vending, POS, exhibition and footwear. As a senior lecturer, Simon teaches across all years and all specialisms of product design.

What makes us special

City from above

DMU Global

DMU Global is our innovative international experience programme designed to enrich your studies and broaden your cultural horizons, preparing you to meet the needs of global employers.

Through DMU Global, you’ll explore exciting opportunities such as overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips, and international exchanges.

Product Design students have recently undertaken DMU Global trips to European cities including Copenhagen, where they explored first-hand historical and contemporary Danish design, and Berlin, which provided the opportunity to examine the city’s art, artists and museums to gain a broader design perspective. DMU Global trips have also taken students further afield to New York

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Block learning

Block teaching offers a focused, streamlined learning experience where you study one subject at a time, rather than juggling several simultaneously. This approach means you’ll benefit from quicker feedback through regular assessments, a simplified timetable, and a healthier study-life balance.

With more time to focus on each subject, you’ll have the flexibility to fully engage with the DMU community, build connections, and explore other enriching aspects of university life. Whether it’s participating in societies, pursuing personal interests, or making the most of campus opportunities, block teaching ensures you can thrive academically while enjoying a rewarding university experience.

Where we could take you

Students at the Careers Hub

Graduate careers

We produce industry-ready graduates with expertise in function, user needs, aesthetics, technology, and design for manufacture. Our alumni thrive in roles such as product designers at various levels, industrial consultancy, project planning, furniture design, UX, interaction design, and research.

Our graduates go on to work for global brands like Cambridge Consultants, BMW, JCB, Aston Martin, Triumph, Dyson, and Magmatic, while others launch successful businesses. With our industry-focused education, you’ll gain the skills and experience to join their ranks and shape your future in design.

Two students discussing placements

Placements

As a Product Design student, you’ll gain real-world experience through industry placements, working on live projects and client briefs that enhance your skills and career prospects. With strong industry connections and dedicated career support, you’ll build expertise, expand your professional network, and strengthen your portfolio before graduating. These hands-on opportunities not only enrich your learning but also elevate your final-year projects. Our students have secured placements with top companies like Bosch, BMW, and JCB, gaining invaluable experience that sets them apart in the competitive design industry.

Our students have secured placements with prestigious companies like Shark/Ninja, MoD, BAE systems, BMW, JLR, Hodges & Drake, Lewis Design Associates and Edge retail limited. 

Course specifications

Course title

Product Design

Award

BSc (Hons)

UCAS code

W242

Institution code

D26

Study level

Undergraduate

Study mode

Full-time

Part-time

Start date

September

Duration

Three years full-time, four years full-time with placement. Six years part-time.

Fees

2025/26 UK tuition fees:
£9,535*

*subject to the government, as is expected, passing legislation to formalise the increase.

Entry requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.

  • Art and Design Foundation, or
  • 112 UCAS points from at least 2 A levels 
  •  BTEC Extended Diploma DMM
  • International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points or
  • T Levels Merit

Plus, five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

  • Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above

We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course.

  • We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Interview and portfolio

Interview required: No

Portfolio required: Yes

Please see our portfolio advice page for full details.

Contextual offer

To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find out more about contextual offers.