Turning a passion into a degree
Automotive and Transport Design MA 2020 graduate Jimmy Chang shares his experience of the course and why he chose to study Automotive Design, in the hope it might help future applicants.
Automotive and Transport Design MA 2021/22 entry
Overview
Aiming to build on knowledge gained in undergraduate study or professional practice, this postgraduate course offers you the opportunity to develop core skills demanded by design studios or global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
We currently have major industry links, and you should have a chance to show your work to industry leaders. Ultimately, you will be provided with the opportunity to get ahead with our Automotive Design MA.
Working on studio delivered briefs and ‘live’ industry projects, you will be taught the underlying theory, 2D and latest 3D techniques used to resolve automotive design challenges within the areas of exterior, interior, colour and trim design. We offer state-of-the-art facilities, including an automotive clay modelling studio, laser cutting, rapid prototyping, 3D printing and a 12-camera motion capture studio for the measurement of human motion, machine interaction and biomechanics.
Past graduates have gone on to become design directors and chief designers at Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Ford, Aston Martin, Lotus, Tata, SAIC, PSA (Peugeot-Citroen), Johnson Controls, Faurecia, and Volvo.
Professional experience option
This master's programme provides you with the additional option to apply for a professional experience opportunity during your first semester with us. The professional experience opportunity is designed to further develop your skills and knowledge with the aim of maximising your employability prospects. Please note that the optional professional experience modules incur a maximum additional tuition fee of £4,000. If your placement is in a country other than the UK, visa applications procedures for that country will apply and application must be made from the home country of the applicant.
Find out more about the professional experience option.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
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What our students say
The course helped me get in touch with many professionals in the industry, around Coventry and provided me with the opportunity to experience most of the stages of automotive design.
Course information
This course develops your understanding of the latest developments, drivers and practices of the automotive designer.
You will be taught to create innovative product design solutions in a range of styles and media, which factor in purpose, usability, materials, ecology, desirability, technological feasibility and professional constraints.
Course specification
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Modules
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
In more detail...
Designed to teach you the skills, knowledge and expertise to produce innovative and visionary automotive designs, this course has been developed with significant input and continuing support from automotive design professionals.
Our current excellent industry links, with employers such as JLR, SAIC, PSA (Peugeot-Citroen), Ford, Honda and Renault, may provide opportunities for ‘live’ collaborative projects, industry visits and networking. To broaden and contextualise your understanding of the automotive industry, we also currently have access to the Transport Motor Museum in Coventry and automotive manufacturing at Bentley in Crewe and MINI UK in Oxford.
Coventry has gained an international reputation for automotive research and teaching covering design, engineering, business and media. A former winner of ‘Best Design School’ in the World Automotive Design competition, we have hosted major symposiums on the future of transport design, future of automotive design conferences and the ITS-UK Automotive User Interest Group.
You will be taught by a faculty which currently includes specialists in automotive, transport and broader industrial design with expertise in concept generation, modelling, interior, exterior and design-led development of low carbon vehicles. Their extensive professional experience includes working for well-known companies like Mercedes-Benz, PSA, General Motors, Daihatsu, Nissan and Ford.
We deliberately strike a balance between traditional hand-processes and emerging technologies. You’ll participate in workshops for block material, automotive clay modelling and handwork, while having access to laser cutting, rapid prototyping (5-axis & 3-axis milling) and 3D printing.
You will develop the advanced knowledge needed to function as critical and effective practitioners, able to demonstrate excellence in visual aesthetics and develop conceptual designs in and from two-dimensions into three-dimensions.
- Postgraduate ‘Agile Lab’ developed in association with Herman Miller provides purpose built and designed furniture
- £940K Centre of Excellence in Product and Automotive Design (CEPAD) provides more sophisticated visual-spatial understandings.
- Specialist design studios feature drawing tables, presentation equipment, wireless internet access, supported by a dedicated print bureau and the Art Shop.
- A guest speaker programme that makes use of our extensive links with specialists and current practitioners (subject to availability) – with past presentations from Daniel Simon (Designer, Visual Futurist) and Frank Stephenson (Design Director, McLaren).
- Extensive facilities currently include: state of the art laser cutting, rapid prototyping, desktop CNC milling, 3D printing facilities, paint spraying, scanners, two large block material workshops, large scale painting facilities, styling clay workshops and handwork shops.
- Computing suites currently offer modelling, animation and analysis software, as well as graphic and word processing packages, including Alias, Maya, Adobe Creative Suite, Rhino, Vector works, RAMSIS and Jack ergonomics software. Visualisation is supported with software such as: Keyshot, Bunkspeed, Showcase and VRED.
Past graduates include Mark Fetherston, lead designer for Mercedes-Benz, and leading F1 aerodynamicist John Iley.
Our main study themes are:
- Professional practice: You will be given the opportunity to experience and learn the procedures, methodology and parameters of automotive design (exterior and/or interior design) as a professional practice. We will encourage you to think and work in depth on a set project and fulfil the requirements of a client or internal brief. The project is undertaken either in conjunction with an outside collaborator or will be based around a possible future scenario. You will learn about and experience the roles required when taking on tasks of research, design management, sketching or modelling (analogue or digital). Areas of specialist knowledge affecting design and styling, such as ergonomics, design tools, design methods, manufacturing and material selection will be taught in relation to the design process.
- Competitions: You will be offered the opportunity to work on externally-supplied project topics from design competition briefs or industrial collaborators. You will be offered the opportunity to operate within the constraints of non-negotiable, fixed design briefs in the first part, followed by a formative ‘professional gateway’ point where agreed continuation into a three-dimensional proposal is established.
- Automotive design project: This project provides the opportunity to develop and display skills in sustained practical work at Master’s level. The subject of the project will be defined in consultation between specialist supervisory faculty staff and framed as a research question. The topics must be appropriate (in the areas of vehicle exterior and/or interior design). The emphasis is placed on concepts which propose challenging and original solutions at the forefront of automotive design and are underpinned through deep knowledge of the subject area and contextual challenges.
Most modules will use a mix of methods for teaching. The delivery is focused around an 11-week teaching period (around 2 weeks centred on assessment that may be formative or summative) – during that time you will engage in tutorials, seminars, workshops, demonstrations and lectures. You will often engage in a studio learning environment (where appropriate) but will be highly self-directed in their study activities.
Teaching methods include: lectures with associated seminars and workshop practical classes.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include practical or project work, coursework, test, essays, presentations, placements and group work.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.
On successful completion, you will have knowledge of:
- The visual, analytical and aesthetic synthesis between 2D images and 3D forms.
- The ways in which designers work and their role in the design and business process, environment and sustainability.
- Issues pertaining to the relationship between vehicle design theory and practice at a practical, advanced and conceptual level.
- The role of the human as a user of the vehicle product and identify critical user issues.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate the appropriate aesthetic sensibilities through the application of theory and practical knowledge and skills to an automotive design project.
- Appraise, examine and evaluate the automotive product from a range of critical perspectives.
- Analyse future trends/scenarios and problems of a creative nature and propose original cohesive solutions.
- Evaluate design theory, ideas and solutions against automotive design practices.
- Demonstrate drawing and presentation skills commensurate with professional design studios.
- Resolve an automotive or vehicle form in 3D, either physically or virtually.
- Make presentations that effectively explain an automotive or vehicle design concept.
- Collect and analyse data and information and prepare reports.
In a typical teaching week, you will have up to 12 ‘contact’ hours of teaching. This generally consists of :
- Personal tutorial/small group teaching
- Medium group teaching
- Large group teaching
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Throughout the course, projects will be set with an international focus, with the aim of enhancing your global experience and broadening your mind-set. The studio briefs select a broad range of international brands and the live projects, which are mostly from clients, include international contributions. You may also have opportunities to take part in collaborative online international learning (COIL) projects working collaboratively across international boundaries (subject to availability, application, visa requirements and additional costs) .
What our students say...
I was aware of Coventry University’s great reputation in the car design community before I applied to the MA Automotive Design programme, and I was not disappointed once I enrolled.
The courses are great and informative, the instructors are clearly passionate about the subject of automotive design and want to encourage that same passion in their students. The facilities are top-notch and the instructors are always on hand to offer advice or an honest critique.
Entry Requirements
What our students say...
I have learnt and improved so much from the Automotive and Transport Design MA course and equipped myself to work as a Junior Automotive Designer. During my time at Coventry, I secured an internship at Microcab Industries Limited and won an International Excellence award from Coventry University.
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
You can study this course on a part-time basis. The cost is based on the credits studied per year. For further information please contact our Admissions team.
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements, professional experience or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to) travel, accommodation, activities and visas.
Please note that the optional professional experience modules incur a maximum additional tuition fee of £4,000 if you choose to take three semesters of professional experience. Alternatively, if you choose to complete either one or two semesters of professional experience the additional tuition fee will be pro-rated down (for one semester this fee will be £1,333.33 and for two semesters £2,666.67). Professional experience opportunities may also be subject to additional costs, visa requirements being met, subject to availability and/or competitive application. Professional experience opportunities are not guaranteed, but you could benefit from the support of our employability and placements team in trying to find and secure an opportunity.
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
What our students say...
I was aware of Coventry University’s great reputation in the car design community before I applied to the MA Automotive Design programme, and I was not disappointed once I enrolled.
The courses are great and informative, the instructors are clearly passionate about the subject of automotive design and want to encourage that same passion in their students. The facilities are top-notch and the instructors are always on hand to offer advice or an honest critique.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
International companies are keen to employ our graduates to acquire their skills and knowledge of the automotive design process. Past graduates have gone on to become design directors and chief designers at Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Ford, Aston Martin, Lotus, Tata, SAIC, PSA (Peugeot-Citroen), Johnson Controls, Faurecia, and Volvo.
Career opportunities are considered vast and varied within automotive design, research, teaching and design management. You could start your own business, become a design consultant, modeller, illustrator, CAD professional, design manager or marketing professional. You may wish to continue your studies at PhD level.
Our Talent Team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries (subject to availability and application). It provides specialist careers information, advice and guidance to all our students from their first year through to final year and beyond graduation, helping them achieve their desired career outcome. Our dedicated enterprise officers also offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.
We are committed to preparing you for your future career and aim to provide you the opportunities to have a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
Where our graduates work
Recent graduates have been recruited by some of the industry’s most well-known manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover, Honda, GM, Hyundai, SAIC, Tata and Geely. Some have become consultants for companies such as Concept Group International and Drive.
What our alumni say
All automotive design tutors and facilities are very professional. I not only learned what I wanted, but it was also a good opportunity for practice. My own ability was greatly improved during the course and after I finished, I found a good job. The course was a smart choice in my life.
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2021/22 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the University will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
