C10304v4 Bachelor of Design in Product Design
Award(s): Bachelor of Design in Product Design (BDesign)UAC code: 602050 (Autumn session)
CRICOS code: 077331M
Commonwealth supported place?: Yes
Load credit points: 144
Course EFTSL: 3
Location: City campus
Overview
Course aims
Career options
Innovation and Transdisciplinary program
Course intended learning outcomes
Admission requirements
Inherent (essential) requirements
Applications
Assumed knowledge
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course diagram
Course program
Honours
Other information
Overview
The Bachelor of Design in Product Design prepares students for a career in the global product design industry. Students learn how to tackle complex problem solving, explore creative solutions, and develop realistic outcomes that could make a mark on the world.
UTS believes a hands-on approach is fundamental for every aspiring designer. As such, the student's starting point is the individual design and making of an object. Throughout their studies students learn how to design, prototype and test design solutions, drawing on cutting-edge technologies and approaches, such as UX (user experience), wearables and electronics and gain hands-on experience in the faculty's digital and fabrication workshops.
Alongside a strong technical base, the degree applies the creative problem-solving required to design experiences that make a difference to everyday life, whether in developing economies or digital cultures. Central to this approach is an understanding of the relationships between objects, culture, economy, technology, business and human behaviour.
Course aims
This integrated approach to education prepares graduates to work in product design and related design professions both locally and internationally. Alongside the core subjects, students can take electives that further develop a specialisation, such as furniture design; designer-maker enterprise; advanced digital design and manufacture; and environmentally responsible design practices. After graduation students can also pursue further study in specialised fields like vehicle design and clinical design, or further academic study in product design related research.
Career options
Career options include design for all aspects of life, from the everyday to the critical, including commercial and industrial product development, sports technology, health, future transport, packaging, exhibition design, service design, and humanitarian work. Product designers can work for individual manufacturers, industrial design and specialist design consultancies, or start their own enterprises.
Innovation and Transdisciplinary program
Transdisciplinarity and Innovation at UTSAll UTS students have the opportunity to develop distinctive capabilities around transdisciplinary thinking and innovation through the TD School. Transdisciplinary education at UTS brings together great minds from different disciplines to explore ideas that improve the way we live and work in the world. These offerings are unique to UTS and directly translate to many existing and emerging roles and careers.
Diploma in InnovationThe Diploma in Innovation (C20060) teaches innovation, supports personal transformation and provides the hard skills needed to support the inventors and inventions of the future. Students come out of the Diploma in Innovation, with the hard skills to create and support sectoral and societal transformation. Graduates are able to fluently integrate ideas, across professional disciplines and are inventors of the future.
All UTS undergraduate students (with the exception of students concurrently enrolled in the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation) can apply for the Diploma in Innovation upon admission in their chosen undergraduate degree. It is a complete degree program that runs in parallel to any undergraduate degree. The course is offered on a three-year, part-time basis, with subjects running in 3-week long intensive blocks in July, December and February sessions. More information including a link to apply is available at https://dipinn.uts.edu.au.
Transdisciplinary electives programTransdisciplinary electives broaden students' horizons and supercharge their problem-solving skills, helping them to learn outside, beyond and across their degrees. Students enrolled in an undergraduate course that includes electives can choose to take a transdisciplinary subject (with the exception of students concurrently enrolled in the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation). More information about the TD Electives program is available here.
Course intended learning outcomes
| A.1 | Demonstrated engagement with ideas and learning |
| A.2 | Commitment to ethical practices |
| A.3 | Value for alternative points of view |
| A.4 | Value for richly diverse and sustainable human cultures and environmental ecologies |
| C.1 | Effective written and oral communication skills |
| C.2 | Effective visual communication skills |
| C.3 | Effective tangible 3D representation |
| C.4 | Ability to work in teams and in multi-disciplinary contexts |
| I.1 | Demonstrated ability for problem setting and problem solving |
| I.2 | Demonstration of versatility, curiosity and imagination |
| I.3 | Demonstration of aesthetic sensibility |
| I.4 | Ability to propose, develop and rethink ideas |
| P.1 | Industry specific practical and digital skills |
| P.2 | Accuracy, rigour and care |
| P.3 | Ability to self-manage, including task initiation, allocation of time and realisation of outcomes |
| P.4 | Understanding of the global context of established and emergent industry practices |
| P.5 | Acquire a comprehensive knowledge of cultural, historic and contemporary contexts that influence the lives of Indigenous Australians |
| P.6 | Ability to critically evaluate ethical practices including the protection of Indigenous Intellectual property rights across Product Design projects and industry |
| P.7 | Ability to apply ethical Indigenous practices and critically reflect on how this will influence future professional practice to work for and with Indigenous Australians across Product Design projects and industry |
| R.1 | Identify and execute research methods appropriate to the project |
| R.2 | Analyse complex contexts for design |
| R.3 | Develop reasoned arguments supported by research |
| R.4 | Reflective critical analysis |
Admission requirements
Applicants must have completed an Australian Year 12 qualification, Australian Qualifications Framework Diploma, or equivalent Australian or overseas qualification at the required level.
UTS: Design, Architecture and Building may consider applications based on the results of the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) if students lack academic qualifications but have extensive professional experience. The STAT is conducted through the Universities Admissions Centre.
Students must refer to the inherent requirements for all degrees offered by Design and Architecture in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building.
Non-current school leavers are selected on the basis of academic merit or on the basis of portfolio and interview rank.
Students must refer to the portfolio eligibility for the faculty’s consideration in order to get a place.
The English proficiency requirement for international students or local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL: paper based: 550-583 overall with TWE of 4.5, internet based: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
International students
Visa requirement: To obtain a student visa to study in Australia, international students must enrol full time and on campus. Australian student visa regulations also require international students studying on student visas to complete the course within the standard full-time duration. Students can extend their courses only in exceptional circumstances.
Inherent (essential) requirements
Inherent (essential) requirements are academic and non-academic requirements that are essential to the successful completion of a course.
Prospective and current students should carefully read the Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement below and consider whether they might experience challenges in successfully completing this course. This Statement should be read in conjunction with the UTS Student Rules.
Prospective or current student concerned about their ability to meet these requirements should discuss their concerns with the Academic Liaison Officer in their faculty or school and/or UTS Accessibility Service on 9514 1177 or at accessibility@uts.edu.au.
UTS will make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional experiences, course related work experience and other course activities to facilitate maximum participation by students with disabilities, carer responsibilities, and religious or cultural obligations in their courses.
For course specific information see the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement.
Applications
International students
International students (excluding those studying in an Australian high school) must submit an application to UTS International (in person, by mail or online) or through an accredited UTS representative.
International students with an ATAR up to five points below the minimum cut-off must submit the following material:
- a six-page digital portfolio in PDF format (landscape) of their work; this may include images, animation or video (max. size 5MB)
- one of the pages must be a 150–200-word written submission that selects and identifies one of the submitted pieces of work, and addresses the aim of the work and why it succeeded (to enable this PDF to be easily viewed, text must be supplied in 16-point Helvetica font, with 1.5 line spacing).
The faculty reserves the right to request a portfolio from applicants.
Assumed knowledge
Any two units of English.
Design and Technology, Visual Arts are recommended.
Course duration and attendance
This course is offered on a three-year, full-time basis.
Course structure
Students must complete 144 credit points made up of 108 credit points of core subjects, 24 credit points of design studies and 12 credit points of electives.
Course completion requirements
| STM91425 Core Subjects (Product Design) | 108cp | |
| STM91882 Design Studies | 18cp | |
| STM91883 Electives Choice | 18cp | |
| Total | 144cp |
Course diagram
Course program
A typical program is shown below.
| Autumn commencing, full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 84610 Inside Design | 6cp | |
| 84111 Understanding Three-dimensional Form | 6cp | |
| 84116 Product Design Communication A | 6cp | |
| 85503 Thinking Through Design | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 84611 Integrated Product Design | 6cp | |
| 84117 Product Design Communication B | 6cp | |
| 84118 Informing Product Design | 6cp | |
| 85502 Researching Design Histories | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 84712 Product Engineering | 12cp | |
| 84909 Product Design and Sustainability | 6cp | |
| Select 6 credit points of options | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 84910 Analogue and Digital UX | 6cp | |
| 84711 User-centred Design | 12cp | |
| Select 6 credit points from the following: | 6cp | |
| 85202 Design Futuring | 6cp | |
| 85001 The Bio Kitchen | 6cp | |
| 88015 Global Studio A | 6cp | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 84811 Smart Design | 12cp | |
| 84911 Advanced Manufacturing Technology | 6cp | |
| Select 6 credit points of options | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 84813 Product Design Professional Communication | 6cp | |
| Select 6 credit points of options | 6cp | |
| 84812 Product Design Major Studio | 12cp | |
Honours
The Bachelor of Design (Honours) (C09131) is available to meritorious students with an additional one year of full-time study.
Applications are submitted via the UTS Study website.
Other information
Further information is available from the UTS Student Centre on:
telephone 1300 ask UTS (1300 275 887)
or +61 2 9514 1222
Ask UTS
UTS: Design, Architecture and Building