Product Design Innovation MA
Study level: Postgraduate
Our Product Design Innovation course aims to prepare you for global employment as creative, innovative and strategic problem solvers.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
16-24 months (with professional experience)
Course code
AHT042
Start date
September 2023
January 2024
May 2024
Course overview
You will be expected to work collaboratively in an internationalised, cross-disciplinary and transcultural context. The focus of the course is on employing research and critical and creative thinking skills to solve complex 3D design problems, with imagination and insight.
- Research and critical and creative thinking are at the heart of all projects, as is ensuring you recognise sustainable and ethical approaches.
- You will have the option to apply for a ‘professional experience’ opportunity2, designed to further develop your skills and knowledge with the aim of maximising your employability prospects. See modules for more information.

Joint Top Modern University for Career Prospects
Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2023Why you should study this course
You will be guided towards creative, imaginative and innovative ways of problem-solving and investigation.
We aim to provide you with multiple options for the expression of creative explorations, including academic writing, poster design, multi-media outcomes, model making, oral and visual presentations, digital portfolios and online content.
Key features of the course are the opportunities for working with live client projects2 and where possible, Collaborative Online International Learning projects (COIL)2.
- Specialist design studios feature drawing tables, presentation equipment, wireless internet access, supported by a dedicated print bureau for 2D outputs up to A0 size and the CSAD Art Shop.
- Extensive facilities4 include state-of-the-art laser cutting, rapid prototyping, desktop CNC milling, 3D printing facilities, paint spraying, scanners, two large block material workshops and handwork shops.
- Computing suites 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 Bunkspeed, Showcase and VRED.
Coventry Degree Show 2023
The Coventry Degree Show is an annual event to celebrate and showcase our graduating students’ work.
Explore the work of our talented students

What you'll study
During semester 1 you will focus on collaborative learning experiences and the development of a community of postgraduate learning.
It will focus on creative processes, user contexts and provide a theoretical and practical introduction to academic standards of research and ethics which are core to level 7 study. This is parallel to the first specialist module where you will be expected to personally reflect on prior knowledge, experience and aspirations and think about future goals.
In semester 2, you will critically develop your specialist practice/interests and start to question where personal boundaries and creative activities can be furthered or built upon at postgraduate level. You will work closely with peers and consider your own practice in a professional context. Importantly, you will, through negotiation and mentorship, begin to develop a clear and research-inspired project focus for your Final Project, which takes place in semester 3.
With professional experience option
The professional experience opportunity2 enables you the opportunity to apply for optional professional experience in semester 1, which, upon successfully securing an opportunity, will extend the duration of your master’s to either 16, 20 or 24 months. The professional experience provides an opportunity for you to develop expertise and experience in your chosen field with the aim of enhancing your employability.
Please note that the optional professional experience modules incur an additional tuition fee, for which 1 semester of professional experience is £1,333.33, for 2 semesters of professional experience is £2666.67, and for 3 semesters of professional experience is £4,000.
Professional experience 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 will benefit from the support of our Talent Team in trying to find and secure an opportunity. Find out more about the professional experience option.
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.
How you'll learn
Our teaching methods include a combination of:
- medium group teaching: workshops, seminars and lectures
- group teaching: seminar, critiques and tutorials
- studio practice and bookable workshop access
The School of Art and Design often provides opportunities to engage in external or collaborative activities such as competition/Industry briefs and speakers beyond your course studies2. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to support your learning journey.
This course can be offered on a part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Request further information about part-time study.
Teaching contact hours
The number of contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 13 contact hours per week.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant (approx. 20-30 hours) self-directed study each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
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.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2023/2024 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.
Assessment methods include:
- Group work
- Presentations
- Reports
- Projects
- Coursework
- Individual Assignments
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
Coventry School of Art and Design typically has a multinational population and you may therefore have the opportunity to work alongside students from all over the globe.
We see this as a particular strength of the course as it could enable you to work alongside students from differing cultural backgrounds and design perspectives. It aims to give you the experience of working collaboratively and cross-culturally. The capacity to work across cultural and disciplinary boundaries is becoming an essential skill in our ever-more interconnected world.
Collaborative learning may include exchange lectures by international academics, visiting tutors from our link universities on site in the UK and abroad2. Many of our courses run Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects allowing you to develop cultural connections and global design sensitivity with students from other universities from around the world2.
Entry requirements
Typical offer for 2023/24 entry.
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £11,200 | £15,200 (with prof. experience) | Request fee information |
EU | £11,200 | £15,200 (with prof. experience) per year with EU support bursary** £18,600 | £22,600 (with prof. experience) per year without EU support bursary** |
Not available |
International | £18,600 | £22,600 (with prof. experience) | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
*Irish student fees
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
**EU support bursary
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in-line with that of UK students. Students studying a Degree with a Foundation Year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
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How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
The Faculty of Arts and Humanities’ completely refurbished Art and Design buildings is planned to open fully in 2023.
The Delia Derbyshire building will include a hyper studio designed for cross-disciplinary projects and immersive studios with cutting-edge virtual reality and mixed-reality technologies. Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities4 in a dedicated environment.

Design workshops
Our digital and printing workshops bring your ideas to life through different media. You’ll find a high-powered laser cutter, 3D printers, scanners and traditional print-making and making workshops for etching, silk-screen printing, relief printing, ceramics, metalwork and woodwork, as well as a generously stocked letterpress room.

PC and Mac suites
Maximise your learning in our cutting-edge computer suites. You'll have access to PCs and Macs running the latest industry-standard software needed for your course, including graphic design packages such as Adobe Creative Suite.

Studio-centric working
In the School of Art and Design, we structure our teaching and assessment methods to replicate the creative industry's ways of working, as we aim to create a studio-centric working environment.
Careers and opportunities
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Undertake research and evaluative reflection in order to synthesise and articulate an advanced knowledge of the theoretical and thematic concerns within product design and innovation practice.
- Deploy skills, techniques and technologies with originality and imagination in relation to a defined discipline for continued product design and innovation practice at an advanced level.
- Realise complex and ambitious artefacts/projects for identified and diverse audiences and contexts.
- Contribute to the shaping of a global contemporary discourse by engaging with innovative, experimental, hybrid and creative approaches to design practice.
- Demonstrate advanced personal skills, judgement and critical awareness enabling problem-solving and innovation applicable to a wide range of creative, professional, social and collaborative contexts.
- Critically and creatively engage industrial design insights and experience to manage innovative design activity and effective stakeholder/professional engagement.
This course encourages you to develop your ability to design products with significant engineering or technological content, to optimise solutions for specific consumer and professional markets and develop products which delight end users.
It is designed to prepare you for leadership and decision-making positions within product design agencies, manufacturing companies, design consultancies, research and development departments, research institutions and government bodies.
Professional enhancement is central to our ethos which is why we encourage collaboration with industry practitioners and work on ‘live’ briefs2.
Upon completion of your final major project, you will have the chance to take part in a degree show2.
Where our graduates work
Recent graduates have gone on to win design posts in prestigious international companies, including:
- Lenovo – (Designer) China
- Asus – (Designer) Taiwan
- JbnJaws Production (Creative Lead) India
- TC Product quality people (Product Development Technician) UK
- Inclusive Product Design (Freelance Designer) UK
- Central Academy of Fine Art (Lecturer) China
- Shanghai Design Agency - (Designer) China
- Heshan Qing Ye Weaving (Manager) China
- Tata Interactive Systems (Designer) Germany
- Les Sismo (Product Designer) Paris
How to apply
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UK students
To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
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International students
Full-time international students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
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Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University 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.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Due to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Student Contract
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 2023/24 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.
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