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Product & Furniture Design (Full-time) (BA Hons)

Swansea
3 Years Full-time
120 UCAS Points

Product and furniture design is a strategic problem-solving process that drives innovation, builds business success, and leads to a better quality of life through innovative products, systems, services, and experiences. It bridges the gap between what is and what’s possible, harnessing creativity to resolve problems, and reframing them as opportunities. You will be encouraged to develop innovative approaches to the design, development and creation of products and furniture.

Product and furniture designers place the human at the centre of the process, building a deep understanding of user needs through empathy and applying a pragmatic, user-centric problem-solving process to design products, systems, services, and experiences. You will be uniquely positioned to bridge varied professional disciplines and business interests to co-create a better quality of life.

This programme allows you to build an in-depth knowledge of the design process, developing comprehensive knowledge and practical skills in designing for manufacture, as well as the analytical, evaluative and communicative skills needed when working as individuals or as part of a team. You will become critically aware of the social, environmental, and ethical framework within which you, as a design professional, will work as you learn to engage with clients’ requirements.

We do not require previous portfolio work as a necessity, we simply ask that you are a passionate creative, and have a burning desire to improve. With these in place, we can help you become a designer that makes a real-world impact.

Course details

Start date:
Study modes:
  • On-campus
  • Full-time
Language:
  • English
  • Bilingual
Institution code:
T80
UCAS code:
PFD1 (BA)
Course length:
3 Years Full-time
Entry requirements:
120 UCAS Points

Tuition Fees 2023/24 and 24/25
Home (Full-time): £9,000 per year
Overseas (Full-time): £13,500 per year

Why choose this course?

01
Student Centric Learning.
02
Live Industrial Briefs.
03
Your Own Studio Space with State of the Art CAD & Workshop Facilities.

What you will learn

Product and Furniture Design is all about fulfilling humanity’s imagination by creating a blueprint for a desired future. The BA/BSc programme philosophy and our vision is to encourage you to discover new ways of thinking and shape the relationships that consumers develop with the environment around them. It is the responsibility of you, the designer, to reflect on the past and create a sustainable way forward. This is your chance to implement change.

Through a balance of intellectual endeavour and design articulation, you will be tasked with competition and industry-led collaborative projects, where you will have the freedom to break the rules, think dynamically, be inquisitive, challenge convention in exploring the subtleties for good and meaningful design.

Both pathways are delivered together with the BA (Hons) focusing on the user experience — on human emotion — and the BSc (Hons) on designing for today through feature detailing and manufacturing. They give you the opportunity to pursue your aspirations by immersing yourself in a vibrant studio and workshop atmosphere, allowing you to experiment and have fun.

In the first year you are introduced to core design skills and knowledge, working on a range of studio and workshop projects whilst developing your understanding of professional working practices and independent study. n the second year we up the ante, expecting greater depth to your design arguments, so by the time you reach your third year, you are higher independent, professional and conversant in critical thinking and design practice.

Compulsory 

Contemporary Challenges: Making a Difference

(20 credits)

Learning in the Digital Era

(20 credits)

Ways of Perceiving

(10 credits)

Design & Make 1

(20 credits)

Design Thinking

(20 credits)

Technical Design

(20 credits)

Ways of Thinking

(10 credits)

Compulsory 

Changemakers: Creativity and Value Creation

(20 credits)

Design for Manufacture

(20 credits)

Changemakers: Building your Personal Brand for Sustainable Employment

(20 credits)

Research in Context

(10 credits)

Research in Practice

(10 credits)

Design Exploration

(20 credits)

Design Realisation - CAD

(10 credits)

Optional 

International Independent Study Module

(60 credits)

Compulsory 

Independent Project

(40 credits)

Advanced Creative Enquiry

(20 credits)

Individual Major Project

(60 credits)

Optional 

Independent Professional Placement
International Independent Study Module

(60 credits)

Course Disclaimer

  • We listen to student feedback and insights from industry and from professionals to ensure that course content is high-quality and up-to-date, and that it offers the best possible preparation for your future career or study goals. 

    For this reason, there might be modifications to the content of your course over time, to keep up to date with changes in the subject area or in the sector. If a module is no longer running, we’ll make sure to keep you informed, and work with you to choose a different suitable module.

testimonial

Staff

Our People

You will be taught and supported by a wide range of professional staff and teams here to help you get the university experience you are looking for. Our teaching staff were ranked 2nd in Wales for assessments and feedback (NSS 2023) meaning the comments you get back from your work will help you learn. Our commitment to your learning has seen our students us as Top 10 in the UK for Lecturers and Teaching Quality. Find out more about our academic staff who teach across our courses. 

Accommodation

Student working on a furniture project

Product & Furniture Design Facilities

The workshop facilitates a broad range of equipment for you to master: traditional machine and hand tools. The main studio is large and airy with individual desks and spaces.

example of student bedroom

Swansea Accommodation

Swansea has a huge student population, and the variety of accommodation available will leave you feeling spoilt for choice. Various purpose-built student accommodation providers provide accommodation in Swansea, and the accommodation team can guide you through your options. It will offer ongoing support throughout your time as a UWTSD student.

Further information

  • We are interested in creative people that demonstrate a strong commitment to art and/or design, and therefore we welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. To assess student suitability for their chosen course, we arrange interviews for all applicants at which your skills, achievements and life experience will be considered as well as your portfolio of work.

    Our standard offer for a degree course is 120 UCAS tariff points. We expect applicants to have a grade C or above in English Language (or Welsh) at GCSE level, together with passes in another four subjects. Plus, we accept a range of Level 3 qualifications including:

    • Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, plus one GCE A-Level in a relevant academic subject
    • Three GCE A-Levels or equivalent
    • BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject, with minimum grades of Merit
    • International Baccalaureate score of 32
    • Other relevant qualifications can be considered on an individual basis

    Qualifications are important; however, our offers are not solely based on academic results. If you don’t have the required UCAS points, please contact the courses admissions tutor or email artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk as we can consider offers to applicants based on individual merit and exceptional work and/or practical experience.

  • Assessment is carried out through coursework, both written and practical. There are no exams on this course. You are formatively assessed reviews during a module, with the summative assessment taking place at the end of a module. A variety of teaching and learning methods are used throughout the course which includes amongst others;

    Informal and Formal Tutorials

    These tutorials are held on a regular basis, across all levels. In Year 1 you regularly discuss your work with a member of staff during the studio sessions, likewise in Year 2. In the third year, you tend to work more independently but benefit from weekly timetabled tutorials. We pride ourselves on the fact that you can see staff on a one to one basis.

    Pastoral Tutorials

    These tutorials give you the opportunity to discuss your progress and engagement with the whole programme and University life and raise any issues/concerns by either party.

    Group Critiques

    These are held on a regular basis, across all levels, during the course of the module, and provide an excellent opportunity for you to share and exchange ideas with your peers in a structured manner in addition to valuable input from staff.

    Studio Projects

    This is where you evidence your creativity, innovation and professionalism in presenting a variety of types of work for assessment such as; portfolios, sketchbooks and project journals, presentation artwork/visualization boards or real and virtual 3D models. The projects are set to examine your abilities to master the integration of new design principles and skills to your design practice.

    Written Assignments

    These are coursework elements that usually take the form of an illustrated paper or report that you undertake in your own time supported by scheduled tutorials. It is where you are expected to demonstrate critical insight and proficiency in articulating the results of a practice or research-based assignment.

    Online Assignments

    These are coursework elements which are undertaken and self-directed by yourself, usually submitted as an e-portfolio.

    Informal & Formal Presentations

    The nature of the presentations varies according to your level: in Year 1 informal presentations are introduced in order to help you gain confidence in talking about your work to your peers and staff. It is also usually part of the assessment process at the end of each project. In Year 2 you are expected to give more formal presentations as part of each module. In Year 3 a formal presentation and Q&A session is part of the final assessment of your Major Project Outcome.

    Exhibiting Work

    In Years 1 & 2, the nature of exhibiting work varies in formality from corridor exhibitions to public venues. At the end of the third year of study, you have the opportunity to showcase of your work in public-facing exhibitions within the locality of Swansea, and at the prestigious national design show in London, New Designers.

  • Our students have access to a diverse range of equipment and resources, which in most cases are sufficient to complete their programme of study. We provide the basic materials necessary for students to develop their practical work within our extensive workshop and studio facilities.

    However, art and design students will likely incur some additional costs to extend their investigation of their personal practice. For example, purchasing their own specialised materials and equipment, joining optional study trips, and printing.

    Students are expected to bring their own personal art and design equipment when they commence the course.  We can advise on the correct equipment needed for your studies and signpost appropriate suppliers if you wish to purchase essential items before or during your studies.  

    A basic ‘art and design kit’ will cost approximately £100, but you may well already have much of the equipment required, so check with us first.  Although we have extensive dedicated digital design studios (PC and MAC) for you to undertake your coursework, you may wish to bring your own digital devices, again check with us first before making a purchase.

    Depending on distance and duration, optional study visits can vary in cost from approximately £10 to visit local galleries and exhibitions to £200+ for overseas visits. These costs cover things like transport, entry to venues and accommodation and are normally at reduced rates for our students.

  • You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available, please visit our Bursaries and Scholarships section.

  • Students can also take up the opportunity to study a semester in the Europe, USA or Canada.

  • After graduating, you can look forward to highly creative, exciting and diverse careers as:

    • Product Designers
    • Furniture Designers
    • Engineering Designers
    • Design Managers
    • UX Designers
    • CAD Designers

    As well as learning about the product and furniture design practices, you will also pick up a variety of transferable skills that will give you a competitive advantage in whatever career path you choose to follow, such as:

    • 2D Adobe CC software (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
    • 3D Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD software skills
    • Time management
    • Planning skills
    • Research skills
    • Design Thinking skills
    • Workshop skills
    • Organisational skills
    • Analytical skills
    • Presentation skills
    • Negotiation skills
    • Interview skills

    Our alumni are working for some of the world’s established leading brands and design consultancies, such as:

    • Lego
    • Hasbro
    • Panasonic
    • Seymour Powell
    • OrangeBox
    • Adidas
    • Native
    • Culture Group
    • Acumen
    • Gurit
    • Zodiac Aerospace
    • Recaro
    • Cerebra

    Many of our graduates have set up their own consultancies, such as MeeCreative and Lunia 3D with great success. Other graduates have continued their educational development on postgraduate courses, training to become teachers [PGCE] or furthering their intellectual capacity studying at Master’s/Doctoral level at UWTSD and further afield.

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