Course Enquiries - UK
Tel: 020 7815 7815
Get in touchMode: Full-time
Are you a problem solver? Why not learn how to design products, services and systems that answer the challenges for industry and society today? Blending design thinking with physical and digital prototyping, this course develops the intellectual and practical skills you need to become a well-rounded product designer.
You’ll learn about design methods, materials, manufacturing processes and basic engineering principles, with the opportunity to put these into practice by developing your products from concept to final model and prototype. In your third year, you’re encouraged to spend a year on an industrial placement. In your final year, you’ll display your work in our end-of-year degree show.
Our course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and is one of the longest-running degrees to hold that accreditation.
We offer the opportunity for all undergraduate Home/EU students to undertake a work placement, internship or work experience while studying a full-time course starting in September 2021.
Mode | Duration | Start date | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Mode Full-time |
Duration 3 years |
Start Date September |
Location
Southwark Campus
|
Mode Sandwich |
Duration 4 years |
Start Date September |
Location
Southwark Campus
|
The course centres on studio/workshop based design assignments – and you spend much of your time involved in design project work. Individual project work allows you to develop as a designer, while group work reflects the reality of your future professional life.
We’ll teach you everything that you need to become a well-rounded and thoughtful designer:
Finally, we’ll support you to put all of this into practice with a major design project and give you a platform to exhibit your work to the public.
Methods of assessment for course overall: 100% coursework.
Combining flair and vision with practical skill, Product Design is an exciting course that will set you on course for a creative, fulfilling career.
Our recent graduates are pursuing successful careers with companies like LEGO, VosLED, Cogent Healthcare Systems, BDP and Complete Fabrication. Others have set up businesses or work as freelance product designers. From design consultancies to manufacturing companies, there’s a wealth of choice for you.
The course has a focus on studio-based design assignments and design project work. You'll learn how to propose workable and functional solutions within financial constraints whilst still delivering compelling, aesthetic products. These are the very skills that will set you in high demand from industry employers!
Take a look at some potential careers, including product designer, in our Prospects section.
As well as recent graduates going into jobs with design consultancies and manufacturing companies, they have also excelled in design competitions:
After graduation I went to work for LEGO in Denmark where I spent four years working as a design/model maker before coming back to London to work for WOW Toys as a Design Manager.
Peter Grinsell, Alumnus, BSc Product Design
We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:
Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.
To us, your professional career begins as soon as you start the course, so we continuously prepare you for real-world challenges from the first day of your study.
Our professional links with the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) mean that our course content is regularly reviewed and revised, making absolutely sure that we are teaching the skills and techniques that the design industry needs from graduates.
The IED is the UK's only professional body representing those working in the field of Engineering Design. Members work in a diverse range of industries that span product design, architecture, mechanical, automotive and aircraft design, design education, IT and computing.
Recent guest lecturers have included:
Most of our third year students choose to improve their employability by undertaking a year-long placement in industry, and we help you to find your placement. The rewards speak for themselves; work experience gives you the opportunity of testing and adapting the skills that you have learned in class within a workplace environment. It also builds your professional network. Placement jobs often lead to 'live' projects in their final year that are sponsored by the companies, and many of our students have been employed by their placement companies on graduation.
You are encouraged to spend your third (sandwich) year on placement in industry; this gives you the opportunity of testing and adapting the skills that you have learned in class within a workplace environment. It also gives you an invaluable networking opportunity. Placement jobs often lead to 'live' projects in their final year that are sponsored by the companies, and many of our students have been employed by their placement companies on graduation.
Our course philosophy places making at the heart of the design process; you'll learn in an environment that is highly in tune with refined technologies. You'll gain the knowledge and training needed to meet future demands for products and services, and the requirements of employers in the design industry.
Well-placed and considered investment means you'll have access to up-to-date and large-scale workshops, laboratories and design studios. Through hands-on engineering experience you'll learn how to test, measure, design and produce your own prototypes, bringing ideas off the drawing board or computer screen and into full-size and functional 3D models.
Our workshop capabilities include:
Find out more about our workshops and industry-standard software packages.
The workshops are great and really inspirational environments. The tutors have expert knowledge and can provide insight from their own professional design careers.
Kadeza Begum, Alumna, BSc Product Design
Our teaching staff are experts, with a great deal to share. Whether they're teaching, carrying out research or involved in consultancy for industry they have the skills to make a difference to you. You'll learn both intellectual and practical skills in a modern, well-equipped environment that blends traditional manufacturing equipment and sophisticated technology.
You'll learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical work. Taking on both group and individual projects, we assess your work through a mixture of coursework and exams, with project and laboratory work counting towards your final award. We also teach you the life skills of effective communication, problem solving, project planning and team working that will set you apart and give you the best chance of getting the job you want after you graduate.
Lectures, tutorials, seminars and lab-based study | Self-directed study | |
---|---|---|
Year 1 | 38% | 62% |
Year 2 | 38% | 62% |
Year 3 | 20% | 80% |
We welcome qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C
We normally require a portfolio of work and in many instances will also interview potential applicants to assess suitability for the course.
If you have already completed some studies at another university, we may be able to consider you for advanced entry. Please see our advanced entry page for more information.
International (non Home/EU) applicants should follow our international how to apply guide.
Mode | Duration | Start date | Application code | Application method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mode Full-time |
Duration 3 years |
Start date September |
Application code H711 |
Application method |
Mode Sandwich |
Duration 4 years |
Start date September |
Application code H711 |
Application method |
Once we have made you an offer, you can apply for accommodation. You can rent from LSBU and you’ll deal directly with the university, not third party providers. That means we can guarantee you options to suit all budgets, with clear tenancy agreements and all-inclusive rents that include insurance for your personal belongings, internet access in each bedroom and on-site laundry facilities.
Or, if you’d rather rent privately, we can give you a list of landlords – just ask our Accommodation Service.
Read more about applying for accommodation at LSBU.
You don't need to wait for a confirmed place on a course to start applying for student finance. Read how to pay your fees as an undergraduate student.
After you’ve received your offer we’ll send you emails about events we run to help you prepare for your course.
Before you start your course we’ll send you information on what you’ll need to do before you arrive and during your first few days on campus. You can read about the process on our Enrolment pages.
For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.
Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 160 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 102 KB).
The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.
The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.
We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.
Course Enquiries - UK
Tel: 020 7815 7815
Order a prospectus Get in touch