Our product design engineering degree gives you the confidence, knowledge, practical skills and experience to build a portfolio that will help put you at the forefront of the next generation of product design engineers. A BEng in product design engineering at Middlesex
A BEng in product design engineering from Middlesex University will give you the confidence, knowledge, practical skills and experience to build a portfolio that will open up both creative and technological career opportunities in areas that range from industrial design and engineering through to creative technology. You will have access to industry expertise through our weekly guest lecture series, ‘live’ projects, visiting lecturers and our extensive alumni network.
You’ll spend your first year studying a combination of product design and product design engineering to get a broad understanding of the fundamentals of both practices, before choosing whether to continue with BEng Product Design Engineering, or to move across to our BA Product Design programme [link here to the programme page]
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BA Product Design and BEng Product Design Engineering are practice-based programmes, focused on employability. Both programmes are driven by our passion for understanding people and technology; exploring innovative solutions driven by real opportunities, addressing challenges faced by industry and society.
We will equip you with the skills to design products and services through our project-based practice, and will support you with the experience, advice, feedback and encouragement you need to grow as a product designer.
While you’re learning, you’ll be matched with a Personal Tutor directly related to your course. You’ll also get support from our Student Learning and Graduate Academic Assistants, who have experience in your subject area.
You’ll graduate with the skills and experience you need to start a career in a wide-range of sectors, from industrial design and experimental design to creative technology and product design.
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Product Design Engineering is a practice-based programme, and is focused on employability. Using the latest industry-standard software and hardware, you’ll learn the ins and outs of product design engineering and physical computing, whilst you develop the skills you need to combine aesthetic functionality with innovative technology.
Modules build technical and practical skills. Year 1 focuses on core product design skills, through hands-on exercises and mini-projects. Year 2 develops the depth and range of these skills, and adds ‘live’ experiences with industrial or external collaborators from across a range of product design sectors. In year 3, the (optional) industry placement year allows you to further develop your skills in a professional setting (leading to a Diploma in Industrial Studies). The final year combines a ‘live’ project experience with a self-initiated final project, which acts as a calling card for future employment, and integrates and coheres all the previous experiences at the highest level.
As well as studio-based design skills, our product design students gain extensive expertise in 3D CAD, physical prototyping and design for manufacture. Our design discourse strand will help you to understand the wider context that surround the subject, all of which cohere to help you to develop the theoretical and practical skills, experiences and attitudes to enter the professional world as an employment ready Product Designer, across a wide range of sectors and emerging practices.
Product Design Engineering is a practice-based programme, and is focussed on employability experience. Modules build technical skills and/or practice skills. Year 1 builds these through hands-on exercises and mini-projects. Year 2 develops the depth and range of these skills and adds ‘Live’ experiences with industrial or external collaborators in a range of Product Design and Engineering sectors.
The Placement Year extends this by allowing you to go out to work directly in a design and/or engineering practice or practices. The final year combines external project experience with a self-initiated final project, which acts as a calling card for future employment and integrates and coheres all the previous experiences at the highest level.
The course will help you develop the theoretical and practical skills, experiences and attitudes to enter the professional world as an employment ready Product Designer Engineer across a wide range of sectors and emerging practices.
This module introduces the core skills in design and studio practice. The focus of the module is on developing both an intellectual awareness and a practical application of design process methods, ideas generation and communication techniques and creative conversations
This module introduces the core skills in prototyping. The focus of the module is developing confidence in an awareness and practical application of prototyping techniques appropriate for different stages of the design process.
This module offers you an introduction to core computing skills for design practice. It enables you to develop skills in CAD modelling, design visualisation, design communication and product prototyping. It introduces strategies for engaging with distributed communities or practice and developing an online presence.
This module provides the opportunity for you to develop your design knowledge, practice and experiences and to apply your design skills through workshops and selected external collaborative projects covering a range of sectors. You will focus on deepening theory, process and contextual knowledge, and applying that knowledge in responding to complex briefs.
This module equips designers with the prototyping tools and approaches to enable them to successfully engage in technical prototyping activity to develop, test and validate design proposals. The module will develop your capability to analyse design problems, to develop effective prototyping strategies and approaches and to select appropriate and accessible technologies
This module develops your design engineering skills and advanced CAD/CAM capabilities. It focuses on analytical skills and engineering tools that enable you to create successful products by providing knowledge and understanding of design for manufacture, design validation and optimisation techniques.
This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
This module provides the opportunity for you to synthesise your design project experiences, and to develop your practice to a professional level, through selected external collaborative projects and through the generation of your Final Major Project. The focus of all projects is on various forms of innovation.
This module develops your design research, strategic planning, theoretical background, and contextual and commercial framework for your Final Major Project and your personal practice. You will prepare and publish a range of technical and contextual texts, and a professional and personal reflection upon your project work
The Design Manifestation module continues the making experiences from Year 1 & 2 modules to develop a high level of technical capability and an equivalent level of reflective practice sensitivity. It interweaves with the final year modules to create a coherent and supportive final year experience which will prepare them for their chosen future. The module will equip final year students with: - the understanding and experience of HOW to evolve great ideas and manifest them in appropriate and high-quality ways. - the ability to consider WHY the manifestation process they pursue is best suited to them, their project, their practice and the wider world. - the confidence to engage with challenges early in an active, exploratory and open manner, and to apply their knowledge and experiences in effective ways.
See the course specification for more information:
Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
As a Product Design Engineering graduate, you will have confidence and skills in developing ideas, working in design teams, pitching project concepts and presenting work. As part of your studies, we will work with you to develop your design portfolio, CV, LinkedIn profile and wider online presence. You will enter employment in a wide-range of sectors that fall within the new definition of ‘Product Design’ and ‘Product Design Engineer’.
You could find a career in roles such as:
A number of both BA Product Design and BEng Product Design Engineering graduates have also gone on to run successful crowdfunding campaigns and successful start-ups.
We’re also partnered with the MDX design and innovation centre, redLoop, which provides opportunities for placements, working on high profile design and technology development projects.
Our Product Design degree offers a professional standard learning environment with excellent facilities, including over 100 high spec workstations with dedicated CAD/CAM equipment. The workshops feature industrial scale facilities for CNC milling, turning, laser cutting, additive manufacturing/rapid prototyping and CMM reverse engineering.
Electronics and mechatronics prototyping and production, including LabView and Multisim tools with associated hardware such as NI-ELVIS training equipment and Compact Rio control systems provided by National Instruments and PCB manufacture. Festo automated production and assembly simulation equipment.
Our dedicated product design studio provides a bright, spacious, flexible workspace to support skills-based teaching, lectures and large-scale project work.
Dr Herd is an internationally renowned expert on co-design. She is also Associate Director of redLoop, the MDX Design and Innovation Centre.
Professor Karamanoglu holds a visiting Professorship at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is actively involved in research and research supervision primarily focusing on Engineering Design and Manufacturing Engineering. He also serves as the UK national organiser for the Mechatronics competitions for the WorldSkills UK/SEMTA.
Wyn has over 25 years in product design and engineering and design education. He is a Lead Mentor for the Design Council SPARK Programme and a member of the Advisory Group for the Design Museum 'Design Ventura' programme. He was a founding member, and Associate Director of redLoop, Middlesex University’s ground-breaking ‘transition space’.
Puja is a specialist in robotics and physical computing. Puja is a previous two-times UK Worldskills champion in mobile robotics.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: September 2023
Duration: 3 years full-time, 4 years full-time with placement
Code: W240
Start: October 2022
Duration: 3 years full-time
Code: H150
