Are you passionate about new ideas? Do you feel inspired to think about how a product could be better designed?

If you answered yes and would like to gain the knowledge and experience you need for a career in product design, alongside a range of marketing, management, and business skills, this course could be for you.

Our design courses are stimulating, relevant, challenging, and rewarding and you’ll benefit from practical, hands-on experience throughout your course. We work with a number of practicing designers so you’ll have the opportunity to work on live projects, ensuring your products are technically and commercially feasible, while also being environmentally responsible.

This course will ensure you develop a range of industry-ready skills, preparing you for whatever future you have in mind, whether that’s in-house design or setting up your own business.

What you’ll learn

In the first year, you’ll get a grounding in product design principles and an understanding of how design can affect the profitability of a business.

In the second and final year, you will take a common core of design modules to support your projects, integrating your design specialism with the core aspects of product design. You’ll also continue to develop skills that are relevant to your future career, whichever path you choose to take, including presentations and team working. Your final year will culminate in the opportunity to showcase your project work at the Aston Inspired final year design show.

We teach using a hands-on framework called CDIO - Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate – supported by 50 of the world’s top technical institutions. This enables you to apply real-world skills as you learn, enabling you to maximize your learning. You’ll do your learning in our state-of-the-art facilities, which include advanced 3D printing facilitates and a dedicated design studio with specialist equipment designed just for you.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science has strong links to industry and this will be beneficial to you if you choose to spend a year working during your degree.

We’ll support you to find a paid, professional placement of direct relevance to your studies. This placement will give you invaluable practical experience in a real work environment and will further enhance your career prospects.

You’ll also have the opportunity to network with employers and showcase your work as part of the Mechanical Engineering and Design Industry Club, where you’ll be given opportunities to meet employers.

Modules

You’ll undertake individual and team projects throughout your studies, as well as having opportunities to work in partnership with industrial partners.

The course includes analytical material provided through lectures, tutorials, labs, and directed study, to ensure you have a solid understanding of engineering principles. Additional lectures and seminars provided by specialists from the industry will support your learning. 

You will be assessed by a combination of coursework, case studies, design projects, and in-class tests.

We aim to provide you with knowledge of materials, production processes, and technology as well as skills in aesthetics, ergonomics, and management to enable you to develop a successful career in design. Our graduates can demonstrate creative design skills alongside sound technical knowledge and experience, valued by many employers.

The kinds of roles our graduates go on to include: design engineers, CAD specialists, and general management, education, and administration. Alternatively, our graduates may choose to go on to further study.

Companies that our recent graduates have joined include Laing, Goodrich, Husio International, The Eden Project, Sainsbury’s, Rolls Royce, and Calsonic Kansei.