Product Design BA (Hons)

This module introduces the key aspects of your subject area, including foundational knowledge, problem-solving skills, effective communication, personal responsibility, and the development of important attributes required for employment within and beyond the creative and cultural industries.

This module will enable you to apply your skills and knowledge to a specific design challenge. You will have the opportunity to apply your subject specific knowledge and expertise in multiple areas of creative practice.

You will have access to workshops and production facilities to produce an outcome to the themed brief.

This module enables students with A-Level German or equivalent to further develop their grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations.You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop your oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students that have completed A-Level or equivalent in French. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop your oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students that have completed a A-Level or equivalent in Spanish. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students who have completed GCSE in Chinese or equivalent. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module is designed for students who have completed GCSE or equivalent in French. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module is designed for students that have completed GCSE or equivalent in Spanish. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module provides the opportunity to study a new language from scratch and introduces you to basic grammar, vocabulary and cultural contexts. You will apply the language to practical situations using both oral and written skills. 

This module explores contemporary cultural and critical issues in both current and future design practice, encouraging you to engage with themes such as ethics, responsibility, and technological advancements. You will have the opportunity to apply your research to practical, real-world problems while collaborating across disciplines. Emphasising interdisciplinary teamwork, the module enables you to work with students, academics, and technical demonstrators from various design fields on shared projects and challenges. Through this process, you will critically examine the societal and cultural factors that shape design, developing a deeper understanding of its role in addressing complex future challenges.

Building on your prior experience of design and production of product concepts, this module will equip you with a working knowledge of current manufacturing processes and a focus on designing for production. You will explore the relationship between design and manufacture, gaining practical insights into how products are made. By developing a physical / digital artefact, you will develop a deeper understanding of production constraints and the challenge of designing for scalability. 

The learning from this module will feed directly into your next module, where you will carry this new knowledge and apply your product-specific skills to a contemporary design brief, working in inter-disciplinary teams with students from a range of design disciplines.

This module will provide you with the practical and theoretical underpinning of professional practice in your specific subject, enabling you to identify and develop key employability attributes and skills in preparation for your future career.  

You will spend several weeks working collaboratively with other students across the School for the Creative Industries on one major project or several smaller projects in a professional ‘simulated real world’ working environment.  Projects will be contemporary, topical, externally focussed and often involve partnership with outside agencies. The module will provide you with opportunities for immersive learning and the chance to apply your knowledge in real-world contexts. 

The module provides you with an opportunity to undertake a 140-hour work placement. This placement is complemented by a number of school-delivered sessions designed to develop your employability, professional practice, and understanding of career options. Students learn to reflect on the nature of creativity within their studies, as well as other transferable skills and competencies developed on their programmes, and gain awareness of how this is valued and relevant in modern workplaces. 

This will be a university-level work placement of up to 7 weeks of 140 hours with a placement provider(s) (e.g. an employer from the private, public, or charitable sector). The placement(s) should be relevant to your area of study and wider career goals, and can either be organised by you, or with support from university staff. All work placements within this module must be university-level; this means: Undertaking high-skilled work commensurate with level 5 study (e.g. report writing, attending meetings, delivering presentations, producing spreadsheets, writing content on webpages, social media, marketing services/products etc).

Placement may potentially take place with more than one employer, reflecting the nature of freelance suppliers in the creative industries. To further reflect the diverse nature of employment in the creative industries, some- or all- of your hours may be spent working remotely on activities such as copy-writing, preparation, post-production and presentation.

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at advanced level. The second half of the module includes a placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a sustainability issue in a target language country. The first half of the module will prepare you for placements abroad where appropriate as well as a deeper understanding of sustainability in target language contexts. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at intermediate level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes an placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a business or tourism issue in a target language country. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at beginner level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes a placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a cultural issue in a target language country. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

• The multiple facets of global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication
• Culture shock
• Cultural adjustment
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess-with a strong focus on understanding the intercultural competencies (ICC) needed to live and work abroad.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of individual requirements in relation to culture/cultural adjustment/culture shock/visas/medical.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of skills already acquired in relation to key skills related to ICC.
• Devising strategies to improve one’s own prospects of working abroad in the future.
• Devising an action plan to address gaps in transferable skills based on organisational analysis and sector opportunities.

Part A:      

Preparation for Experiential Overseas Learning will take place at the University of Chester during level 5 and will include:  

• The multiple facets of Global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Theories and models Intercultural competence
• Theories and models of Integration and Multiculturalism
• Critical thinking skills and models of Reflection

• Experiential learning models
• Self-directed experiential learning

Personal and placement-related skills

• Enhanced independence
• Improved command of multicultural behaviour
• Increased knowledge and confidence in their individual facets of personal identity
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development
• Team building and team work

Part B:            Overseas

Students will engage in experiential learning activities overseas for at least 150 hours 

Preparation for the year abroad will take place in Chester during level 5 and will include:

• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Host-country orientation, study methods– economic, political and social reality of the country
• Orientation specific to exchange – health, education, gender issues
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Practical matters relating to living and studying in the wider world

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Critical thinking skills, experiential learning and models of reflection

Personal and placement-related transversal skills

• Effective self-motivation and independent resourcefulness
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development

Whilst abroad:

You will undertake study at one of the University of Chester's partner universities or undertake and approved work placement or virtual placement. If you are a student,  it is expected that you will choose a series of modules at the university abroad which must be agreed by the host institution and the Module Leader. you must supply details of you modules on a learning agreement within 4 weeks of arrival at the host university.

This module provides you with the opportunity for an in-depth exploration of a design topic of personal interest. You will select a research question and conduct a thorough investigation using a range of research methods to uncover key insights and present potential opportunities. By the end of the module, you will have developed a research-driven approach to addressing a design challenge that enables new perspectives and innovative ways of thinking. This may or may not relate to your Major Project.

The focus of this module is to build your workspace readiness through the development and production of a visually exciting Curated Portfolio-to-Go and complementary self promotion materials. Work produced for this module can be used to target ‘identified’ areas of prospective career opportunity and enhance your readiness to enter the workplace.

Building on your understanding of designing for manufacture in Level 5, you will now learn how to create beautiful product forms.

This module is designed to enhance your appreciation of form and aesthetics in preparation for your final major project. You will master specifically selected industry-relevant tools, techniques, and technologies to build your confidence in creating and communicating physical product forms. You will learn how to turn your innovative ideas into desirable products that appeal to the target market. The work produced in this module is intended to create stand-alone content for you to include in your ongoing portfolio for use after graduation.

The independent Major Project is the culmination of your studies in Product Design and the opportunity for you to define your own area of interest to support your career aspirations.

This module allows you to apply and consolidate your skills, knowledge, and creativity developed throughout your course to tackle a self-directed design project. You will be encouraged to take ownership of your learning and work independently to explore, develop, and present a solution to a design challenge that you have identified. The project has an emphasis on innovation, professional design practice, and your ability to manage a complex design challenge from identification to resolution.

The outcome of this module will be your design response to meet your own brief in the form of a product proposal, which will be realised in the next module, when you will have the opportunity to make a final product model (artefact) and produce promotional material for your own personal portfolio.

The Major Project Realisation module represents the final phase of your product design journey. Using your Technical Pack from the previous 'Major Project Response' module, you will translate your detailed design work into a fully realised prototype.

This module focuses on the creation of a functional and/or aesthetic prototype, ensuring that your design works in practice. This prototype will enable you to create stunning hero images for you to produce high-quality presentation materials, simulating a real-world design project where you would be expected to deliver a final presentation to your client.

This module focuses on accurate production skills, quality of making (physical and digital) and professional communication, providing you with the opportunity to showcase all of your learning and celebrate the moment when your idea comes to life. The work produced in this module contributes to a professional portfolio of work that you will have created by the end of the course. 

You will draw on both the major project outcomes and your entire design collection, created throughout the Product Design course to create your own professional portfolio for employment. This portfolio development and employment preparation will take place in the final 'Career Readiness' module.