About Product Design BA in Middlesex University

Our product design degree gives you the knowledge, practical skills and industry experience to build a portfolio that will help you launch a career in a wide-range of sectors.

Product designers are the visionaries who bring people and technology together. A BA in product design will open up both creative and technological career opportunities in areas that range from industrial design and engineering to mechanical design and creative technology.

Through project-based study, you'll develop the expert skills and understanding to combine aesthetic functionality and innovative technology. You’ll spend your first year studying a combination of product design and design engineering to get a broad understanding of the fundamentals of both practices before choosing which path to take for the remainder of your study.

You’ll build your professional portfolio, and have the opportunity to enter prestigious design competitions to give you a competitive career edge. You’ll also showcase your work in our final year degree show, where you’ll have the chance to share your products with industry employers and build valuable contacts.

Our guest lectures from leading UK and international design experts and designer-in-residence scheme gives you the chance to build your industry knowledge, gaining valuable feedback on your portfolio. We’re also partnered with our design and innovation centre, redLoop, which gives you unique opportunities to work on real design and technology development projects.

You’ll have the option to gain valuable professional experience by spending your third year in an industry work placement leading to a Diploma in Industrial Studies. Our network of creative professionals also means you’ll have access to prestigious work experience placements throughout your product design course.

Our degree also has the Creative Skillset Tick which lets employers know you’ve got the skills they need.

We ensure that every student has adequate support throughout their time with us. That’s why you’ll get matched with a Personal Tutor as well as a Student Learning Assistant and a Graduate Academic Assistant. They’ll have experience in your subject area and will be able to help whenever you need.

Our degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and meets the requirements of Registered Product Designer (RProdDes). You’ll graduate employment-ready and able to start a career in a wide-range of sectors. Many of our graduates have also gone on to start their own businesses, launching successful start-ups including Rebirth and Novo Consult.

You will develop a range of techniques across studio based design processes, prototyping and traditional workshop methods, and computer aided design and manufacturing techniques. The design discourse strand will help you to understand design in its wider context and to recognise its place in the cultural landscape.

You will learn to design and produce a wide range of products across: consumer durables, lighting, furniture, smart products, sports and leisure products, and toys and games. You will also examine design issues relating to: design strategy, human factors, marketing, product semantics, sustainable design, CAD visualisation and simulation, advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping and contextual design studies.

Our professional learning environment encourages you to develop a commercial approach to design. This happens through taking part in work placements and also through supporting live projects with industry partners.

What will you gain?

Product Design is a practice-based programme, and is focused on employability experience. Modules build technical skills and/or practice skills. Year 1 builds these through hands-on exercises and mini-projects. Year 2 develops the depth and range of these skills and adds ‘Live’ experiences with industrial or external collaborators in a range of Product Design sectors. The Placement Year extends this by allowing you to go out to work directly in a design and/or engineering practice or practices.

The final year combines external project experience with a self-initiated final project, which acts as a calling card for future employment and integrates and coheres all the previous experiences at the highest level.

The course will help you develop the theoretical and practical skills, experiences and attitudes to enter the professional world as an employment ready Product Designer across a wide range of sectors and emerging practices.

Minimum 55% or above from a Local Board Examination or its equivalent.

Students must also satisfy our standard English language requirements. 

Required IELTS scores

• Undergraduate (bachelor) programmes - 6.0 (with minimum 5.5 in all components)

Middlesex University Highlights

Middlesex University Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

Middlesex University International Student Admissions

Middlesex University accepts students from all around the world and currently has over 160 international partnerships.

Application fee: 40 GBP

Academic Documents:

• Transcripts and certificates of all the educational institutions previously attended by the applicant.
• References
• CV or Resume
• Personal statement
• Language proficiency test scores
• Interviews, portfolio and auditions might also be required for some courses.

The transcripts must be either copy of the original documents on letter headed paper or with a stamp from the academic institution. Applicants must provide their permanent details like post address or email address. If applicants are looking for a research degree, they must also include a research proposal along with their application. This must outline their research plans and highlight which is of research interests them.

English Proficiency Test Score Required for International Students

The applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit one of the following test scores to Middlesex University. The minimum test scores required for both UG and PF courses are as follows:

Visa Process for International Students

• All international applicants need to have the Tier 4 visa clearance for six months.
• Applicant must be at least 16 years old in order to apply for a Tier 4 visa.
• Financial and documentation requirements need to be fulfilled by the applicant.
• Passports, travel documentation and a tuberculosis test result are required when applying for Tier 4 visa.
• A minimum of 40 points are required for Tier 4.
• Out of these 40 points, 30 points are for a valid CAS from a Tier 4 sponsor, which will be Middlesex University.
• 10 points are for financial means for college tuition, living costs and application fee.
• A CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is sent to the applicant when he/she is admitted at the university.
• This CAS contains a reference number that must be stated on the visa application form.
• The validity of the visa depends upon the duration of the course taken by the applicant.