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Product Design BA (Hons)
Study level: Undergraduate
We take a user-centred approach to designing innovative, sustainable and forward-thinking products for volume production, including furniture, healthcare products, toys and consumer electronics.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years sandwich
Course code
W24D
Start date
September 2025
Course overview
Our long-established degree course aims to prepare you for a range of roles in the creative industries, including product design, UX design, research, development, modelling, visualisation and design management.
- Visualising and prototyping: explore a range of hands-on and digital tools and techniques with access to our extensive workshop facilities4.
- Human-centred Design: design products informed by insights and trends identified through focused research, that deliver a rich user experience.
- Design for manufacture: learn to balance aesthetic and functional requirements to optimise products for sustainable production.
Rated Gold Overall
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2025Why you should study this course
- Our studio-based course will allow you to explore, create, collaborate and develop the skills required to design innovative products, supported by peers and guided by experienced practitioners.
- Extensive workshops include laser cutting, rapid prototyping, CNC/robotic milling, 3D scanning and clay modelling facilities, hack spaces and immersive studios4.
- Digital suites offer industry-standard CAD modelling, rendering, graphics, animation and video-editing software.
- Our visiting speaker programme makes use of our extensive alumni and industry network, with previous talks from Zoe Laughlin (Institute of Making), John Tree (Jasper Morrison) and Map Project Office (subject to availability).
- Gain a global perspective with our international participating institutions, who provide opportunities for shared learning and the potential for travel and study abroad2.
8th
Coventry University ranked No.8 for Product Design
Guardian University Guide 2024
Art and Design Graduate Showcase 2024
The Coventry Degree Showcase is an annual event to celebrate and showcase our graduating students’ work.
What you'll study
This course has a common first year.
The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.
If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).
Common first year courses
- Automotive and Transport Design BA (Hons)
- Graphic Design BA (Hons)
- Product Design BA (Hons)
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
Within the School of Art and Design, our teaching and learning opportunities mirror the needs of the creative industries. We aim to equip graduates with the skills and attributes to become industry specialists, leaders and innovators.
The ability to be entrepreneurial, innovative and embrace change underpins our art and design courses. Our studio and workshop culture ensures you are socially responsible in our creative community and develop critical thinking in research and making processes. Our global initiatives will give you skills to become collaborative communicators and make you culturally competent in the ever-changing world of art and design.
As the creative arena is an ever-evolving space, being curious and adaptable learners is key to our school’s graduates. You will be encouraged to self-reflect, identify your strengths and development areas in line with your career aspirations.
Teaching contact hours
As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. A typical 20 credit module requires a total of 200 hours study. This is made up of teaching contact hours, guided and independent study.
Teaching hours
Teaching hours vary each semester, year of study and due to module selection. During your first year you can expect 15-18 teaching hours each week. You will also have the option to attend optional sessions including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.
Guided and independent study
Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You’ll be digging deeper into topics, review what you’ve learned and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you’ll spend more time in independent study.
Online learning
As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.
Assessment
You will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module. In the School of Art & Design, we design our assessment methods to replicate the creative industry ways of working. This aims to help you learn skills for future career opportunities.
Assessment methods may include:
- reports
- practical coursework
- presentations as part of individual assignments or group work elements.
The Coventry University assessment strategy aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
There are opportunities for exchange with students on a similar course in overseas universities2.
Throughout the course, design briefs are written with an international focus, enhancing your global experience and broadening your mindset. You may engage in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects with participating institutions and other international universities around the world.
Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability, and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements, and are therefore not guaranteed2.
The product design course has allowed me to grow and become who I am today. It has offered me countless opportunities to develop my skills and push myself to become a confident individual ready to take on the world.
Fred Hall, Product Design BA (2023)
Entry requirements
Typical entry requirements:
Fees and funding
| Student | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £9,535 per year | Not available |
| EU | £9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary** £19,850 per year without EU Support Bursary** |
Not available |
| International | £19,850 per year | Not available |
If you choose to study this course with a professional placement2 or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee3 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year. Students commencing their professional placement in the academic year 2027/28 will pay £1,500 if they are paying UK fees, or £1,800 if they are paying international fees.
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
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 permits 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.
If you choose to study this course with a professional placement, the University will charge the tuition fees stated above for those on a placement during Academic Year 2027/28. The University will review professional placement tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study, but such that it will be no more than 5% above 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.
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. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
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.
How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
Facilities
Outstanding creative spaces in our purpose-built Delia Derbyshire building offer space and light along with industry standard equipment and technologies4. You will work in a range of scales, materials and processes. You will be encouraged to develop and apply both 2D and 3D techniques and will apply both analogue (traditional) and digital (new technology) approaches. In doing so, you will develop your creative identity and ways of working relevant to current and emerging creative industry standards.
Facilities4 include a hyper studio designed for cross-disciplinary projects and immersive studios with cutting-edge virtual reality and mixed-reality technologies.
Our digital and industrial workshops are of industry-standard quality and house 3D rapid prototyping, laser cutters and milling machines. These facilities are available to all students on our courses.
We also have a ceramic and small metal workshop and clay modelling studios where you can realise your creative artistic and design solutions.
In our Mac and PC CAD labs, you can become digitally literate in presentation and design skills using the Adobe suite. You can also learn other software packages including Alias, Toom Boom, Revit, and Maya that maybe relevant to your studies.
Workshops
Our extensive workshops will allow you to model in wood, metal, plastics, glass, ceramics and styling clay, with additional facilities for 3D printing, CNC milling and laser cutting. (Location: Delia Derbyshire Building)
Software suites
Our PC and Mac labs are equipped with the latest 2D and 3D software, including Adobe Creative Cloud. (Location: Delia Derbyshire Building).
Studio Spaces
You will have open access to specialist design studios in which to work and collaborate. (Location: Delia Derbyshire Building)
Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.
Careers and opportunities
The structure of the course, the experiences and support made available to you are all designed with a view to developing the skills, competencies and imaginative thinking necessary for a creative career in a demanding, competitive and rapidly changing work environment.
Our careers specialists (Talent Team) are on hand (subject to availability) to offer personalised support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities. They provide professional career support, advice and guidance to all our students from their first year through to final year and beyond graduation.
Our comprehensive student support also offers valuable assistance on how to start up as a freelancer/entrepreneur.
Your creative thinking, problem-solving and communication skills are highly valued by employers and could lead to roles in product design and related practices. Potential career paths include design engineering, packaging design, digital modelling, trend forecasting, UX design, design management, marketing or academia.
Where our graduates work
Previous graduates have gone on to work at companies including:
- Boss Design
- DCA
- Dyson
- IDEO.org
- Jaguar Land Rover
- LAYER
- Paul Smith
- Puma
- PriestmanGoode
- Stanley Black & Decker.
Further study
You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
Discover Phoenix+
Phoenix+ brings you together with other students to learn, experience and develop essential knowledge and skills. Whatever destination you choose, it's about preparing you for life after university.
Learn more about Phoenix+How to apply
UK students
International students
Disclaimers
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