Product Design Engineering BEng/MEng

Overview

Product Design Engineers are the technical engine of innovation for consumer products. They have the technical ability to develop their creative vision into fully working, fully detailed products. Our degree gives students the theoretical and practical education and project experience, in state-of-the-art facilities, to become employment ready, accomplished product design engineers, with a professional portfolio of work.

Why study BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering at Middlesex University?

This degree produces creative, professional and highly skilled Product Design Engineers capable of playing an active role in formulating and meeting the challenges and opportunities arising in contemporary commercial practice. You will have an expert understanding of industry and have the skills to combine aesthetic functionality with innovative technology.

We provide a collaborative learning environment where you'll build the skills, knowledge, experience and confidence to design and develop compelling products and systems for the 21st century. Our project-focused curriculum allows you to bring your designs to fruition and make tangible products to showcase your work. You will specialise in applying mechanical design engineering and physical computing in domestic products and become experienced using the latest industry software and hardware equipped in our labs and workshops. You will graduate well-prepared to enter the professional world of contemporary design practice through exposure to a productive, multidisciplinary working environment with state-of-the-art industry standard facilities and placements with prestigious design-led companies.

To support your career success you will build a professional portfolio of work throughout your degree and receive regular guest lectures and project feedback from industry professionals, with the option of spending a year on industry placement.

You will have a common Year 1 with BA Product Design and BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering together, developing the fundamentals of contemporary design and design engineering practice. At the end of the year, you can confirm your choice, or change your initial pathway to take either the creative (BA) or technological (BEng/MEng) route. The BA focuses on people and how they interact with products, while the BEng/MEng is targeted towards technology and how a product functions.

Course highlights

You are encouraged to enter prestigious product design engineering competitions to enhance your experience and career prospects, as part of the curriculum
You will extend your industry knowledge through our series of weekly guest lectures delivered by some of the UKs leading design experts and companies
A year-long work placement is available as part of the course and our London campus gives you access to prestigious placements within the creative industries
If you apply for our four-year MEng course you will gain a masters qualification as soon as you successfully complete your undergraduate degree
Our degree is seeking accreditation by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and also has the Creative Skillset Tick: a kitemark of quality for training that prepares you for a successful career in the creative industries
You will showcase your work in our final year degree show, giving you an opportunity to share your products with industry employers
As a student of this course you'll receive a free electronic textbook for every module.

Find out more

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Department

Design Engineering and Mathematics

What our alumni say

One of the best things about the course is that we work on a lot of live briefs for real clients. These projects really help build up our portfolios, and at the end of the day this is one of the most valuable things we will have when we graduate.

Jonathan Joanes, Product Design BSc graduate

Course content

What will you study on the BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering?

You will develop a range of techniques across studio based design and engineering processes, prototyping and traditional workshop methods, physical computing, computer aided design and analysis and manufacturing techniques. The design discourse strand will help you to understand design in its wider context and to recognise its place in the cultural landscape.

You will learn to design and engineer a wide range of products across: consumer durables, lighting, furniture, smart products, sports and leisure products, and toys and games, emphasising the technology and detail design. You will also examine design issues relating to: design strategy, human factors, marketing, product semantics, sustainable design, CAD visualisation and simulation, advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping and contextual design studies.

Our professional learning environment encourages you to develop a commercial approach to design. This happens through taking part in work placements and also through supporting live projects with industry partners.

What will you gain?

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.

BEng modules

Year 1
- Design and Studio Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  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
- Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  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.
- Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 2
- Design Methods, Processes and Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Advanced Technical Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Advanced Technical Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 3 - Optional Placement
- TKSW Placement (120 credits) - Optional
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 4
- Engineering Design Projects and Professional Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Professional Context (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Design Manifestation (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.

MEng modules

Year 1
- Design and Studio Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  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
- Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  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.
- Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 2
- Design Methods, Processes and Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Advanced Technical Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Advanced Technical Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 3 - Optional Placement
- TKSW Placement (120 credits) - Optional
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 4
- Engineering Design Projects and Professional Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Professional Context (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Design Manifestation (30 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
Year 5
- Team Project (60 credits) - Compulsory
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Design Strategy (30 credits) - Optional
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Advanced Topics in Design Engineering (30 credits) - Optional
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.
- Engineering Innovation (30 credits) - Optional
  
  This is a new module and the description will become available shortly.

You can find more information about this course in the programme specification. 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.

Teaching

The teaching method is led by open studio sessions, team taught, through creative conversations on integrative projects covering a wide range of design and engineering sectors. Research, generative ideation and reflective crit-and-review all take place within the open studio.
Students develop knowledge and skills in specialist modules through a blended learning approach, which involves face-to-face sessions (lectures, laboratory sessions and/or seminar sessions), self-directed, resource-based learning, small group discussions, small group and individual exercises, laboratory and workshop sessions, demonstration software, on-line examples, and group presentations.
As well as working on your own design projects – some with industrial partners - and exhibiting your work, you will visit exhibitions and galleries and learn through reading, research, observation, experimentation and discussion. You will work on problem-solving activities and other assignments, submitting reports and, in your final year, a range of written work, from reflective reports to conference poster papers. We have extensive studio, laboratory and workshop facilities, and you will choose projects that reflect the area you would like to specialise in.
You can also opt to extend your course by a year (without paying additional tuition fees) and spend the third year doing a paid work placement of between 36 and 48 weeks, which we will help you to find. This is very much encouraged as it helps you build a significant portfolio of work and a good CV ready for an exciting career. This will lead to the additional award of a Diploma in Industrial Studies.
As well as working on your own design projects – some with industrial partners - and exhibiting your work, you will visit exhibitions and galleries and learn through reading, research, observation, experimentation and discussion. You will work on problem-solving activities and other assignments, submitting reports and, in your final year, a dissertation. We have extensive studio, laboratory and workshop facilities, and you will choose projects that reflect the area you would like to specialise in.
We are uniquely linked with redLoop - the Middlesex Design and Innovation Centre; a design consultancy that operates across the product, service, interaction and technology sectors, with clients ranging from large corporations, through to small, local businesses and international not-for-profit groups. redLoop takes on up to 20 Placement Students per year, providing a rich opportunity to develop industrial experience before and after graduation.
You can opt to extend the course by a year, and spend your third year doing a work placement, which we will help you to find. This will lead to the additional award of a Diploma in Industrial Studies.
You will enjoy regular studio and laboratory contact with academic staff, and you will be assessed by a variety of methods. You will be graded of course on your designs and projects, both group and individual, but you will also submit essays and reports, give presentations and do tests. If you choose to do an industrial placement, this will also form part of your assessment.
Assessment is entirely through coursework, including exhibitions of products you have designed, individual and team projects, portfolios, essays, reports, poster papers, presentations, and group reviews.

Entry requirements

Qualifications
112 UCAS points, plus GCSE C English and Maths
Middlesex University has a flexible and personalised approach to admissions and we accept applications from students with a wide range of qualifications and a combination of qualifications.
Please check our general entry requirements page to see how these points can be achieved from our acceptable level 3 qualifications and the combinations which are welcomed by Middlesex University, including GCSE requirements.
Applications from mature candidates without formal qualifications are welcomed provided they can demonstrate appropriate levels of relevant ability and experience
If you are unable to meet the entry requirements for this course you may be interested in our intensive Foundation in Art and Design, successful completion of which will guarantee a place on a nominated degree. This is a twelve week course, running three times a year, to prepare you for degree-level study. For more information, please view our iFAD page.
Eligibility
UK/EU and international students are eligible to apply for this course.
Academic credit for previous study or experience
If you have achieved a qualification such as a foundation degree or HND, or have gained credit at another university, you may be able to enter a Middlesex University course in year two or three. For further information please visit our Transfer students page.
If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, academic credit may be awarded towards your Middlesex University programme of study. For further information please visit our Accreditation of Prior Learning page.
Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions
Entry onto this course requires an interview and portfolio. Please view the Interviews and portfolios tab for more information
Qualifications
112 UCAS points, plus GCSE C English and Maths
Middlesex University has a flexible and personalised approach to admissions and we accept applications from students with a wide range of qualifications and a combination of qualifications.
Please check our general entry requirements page to see how these points can be achieved from our acceptable level 3 qualifications and the combinations which are welcomed by Middlesex University, including GCSE requirements.
Applications from mature candidates without formal qualifications are welcomed provided they can demonstrate appropriate levels of relevant ability and experience
If you are unable to meet the entry requirements for this course you may be interested in our intensive Foundation in Art and Design, successful completion of which will guarantee a place on a nominated degree. This is a twelve week course, running three times a year, to prepare you for degree-level study. For more information, please view our iFAD page.
To find out more about the qualifications we accept from your country please visit the relevant support in your country page. If you are unsure about the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest regional office for support.
Visas and immigration
You will not need a visa to study in the UK if you are a citizen of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you are a national of any other country you may need a visa to study in the UK. Please see our visas and immigration page for further information.
English language requirements for international students
You must have competence in English language to study with us. The most commonly accepted evidence of English language ability is IELTS 6.0 (with minimum 5.5 in all components). Visit our English language requirements page for a full list of accepted tests and qualifications. If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, we offer an intensive pre-sessional English course.
Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions
Entry onto this course requires an interview and portfolio. Please view the Interviews and portfolios tab for more information
The application is just the first step in our selection process, we also invite you to an interview and review your portfolio of art and design work. We've put together some simple notes to help you prepare:
Your portfolio
- The portfolio is expected to consist of 5-10 pages showing a range of recent design work
- Be selective about the work you show while continuing to show a range of skills and ability
- Show mostly recent work that you are most proud of
- Consider how to present your work and the impression the overall look of your portfolio will have on the viewer
- We like to see lots of work but don't overfill your portfolio - you should be able to carry it by yourself!
- You do not need to bring large pieces of 3D work, photographs are sufficient
Sketchbooks are extremely important. They should be a 'diary' of your thinking and include observational and speculative drawings/sketches communicating a visual sensitivity. We also look for evidence of how you develop and work through your ideas. Include photographs and collected images and importantly your reaction to them, but avoid letting your sketchbooks be merely scrapbooks
Your interview
Depending on student numbers some interviews will occur in 'teams'. You will be asked to undertake a mini design project within these teams. In the case of low student numbers you will be interviewed individually. We use the interview process to allow us to find out more about you, to better understand your aspirations and interests and for you to learn more about us.
Please apply via UCAS using this course’s UCAS code:
- BEng: W24A
- MEng: W24B
For help with your application, please view our undergraduate application page.

Fees and funding

The fees below refer to the 2019/20 academic year unless otherwise stated.
UK/EU students*
Full-time students: £9,250
*Course fees are subject to annual inflation.
For more information and to answer your frequently asked questions, please visit our undergraduate funding page.
The fees below refer to the 2019/20 academic year unless otherwise stated.
International students*
Full-time students: £13,500
*Course fees are subject to annual inflation.
For more information and to answer your frequently asked questions, please visit our undergraduate funding page.
Course costs
The following course-related costs are included in the fees:
- A free electronic textbook for every module
- All printing and copying required for your study
- Self-service laptops available for loan for a maximum of 24 hours
- Audio-visual equipment available for loan, including digital stills cameras, digital video recorders, digital audio recorders

Careers

How can the BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering support your career?

Product Design Engineering graduates enter employment in a wide-range of sectors that fall within the new definition of ‘Product Design’ and ‘Product Design Engineer’. You could enter in such as roles as:

Industrial Designer
Service Designer
Designer/Craftsperson
Interaction Designer
Design Engineer
Mechanical Designer
Experimental Designer
Product Designer
Creative Technologist
Design Strategist

An increasing number of graduates are setting up their own businesses, and successful start-ups such as Rebirth, Casezo, ADZero (ADCreative), Airbrake, Mutant Bikes, Exceptional and Novo Consult have been led by graduates recently.

Facilities

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.

World leading and international award-winning designers work with our students, through visiting lectureships, guest lectures and projects regularly and throughout their experience.

The Special Collections are held in the Materials Room - a supervised room for inspiration and research. Collections include Fashion, Samples, Comics and Special Books.

Campus life

International students

Study abroad

Work and career

Support services

Staff profiles

Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu
Head of Department, Design Engineering and Mathematics

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.

Follow Professor Karamanoglu on Twitter.

Wyn Griffiths
Senior Lecturer

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’.

Follow Wyn on Twitter.

Helena Ambrosio
Lecturer and Designer in Residence in Design Engineering and Mathematics

Helena is active in practice and research exploring design and engineering processes and data-driven design.

Puja Varsani
Associate Lecturer in Design Engineering and Mathematics

Puja is a specialist in robotics and physical computing. Puja is a previous two-times UK Worldskills champion in mobile robotics.

Student profiles

Jonathan Joanes

Product Design BSc student

This course has been really good so far. I have friends studying Product Design at other universities so I guess that is my only comparison, but the way our course is set up seems to put us in a really good position compared to where they are. I think this is to do with the structure of the course and the way we build our skills over the three years. The first year is about nurturing and developing the initial skills you have, so sketching, a little bit of CAD, graphic work, that kind of thing. Things really ramp up in second year, probably due to the amount of projects that are thrown at you. It's good because it helps you organise yourself really quickly, and you use the skills you developed in first year to be more independent when working on your projects. In the final year it is more about using those skills, being more independent and getting on with your final project.
Being on placement was brilliant and it really helps because it gives you a different approach to your final year. The people who have been on placements don't treat their final year projects like student projects, they treat them like professional projects which is a completely different angle that really pays off.
One of the best things about the course is that we work on a lot of live briefs for real clients. These projects really help build up our portfolios, and at the end of the day this is probably one of the most valuable things we will have when we graduate – our portfolio and our skills. Being able to work on these live projects is a really good experience – working to real timescales, having proper deliverables, going to meetings and things like that. Then at the end of it we have an amazing portfolio and CV to help us launch our career.
We have something on the course called Guest Lectures, where every Tuesday a different expert is invited to come and give a one-hour lecture. A variety of people from across the industry come in, like Michael Margolis who wrote The Arduino Cookbook and we also had the chief designer from Aston Martin come in too. It is amazing, we'd never get to meet people like this normally and afterwards you get to chat to them and get their cards so we have their contact details if we ever wanted to send them an email. Ex-students from a few years ago often come back and talk about they got from their degree to where they are now too, which is great because it could be a bit of a minefield when you get your degree if you don't know what to do with it and hearing from those who have already done it really helps.
The staff are really helpful. Everyone is super friendly and approachable so it is more fun than anything – you just go in and sit down and get on with things. It is not people shouting at you and telling you what to do, it is more of an open conversation.
After I graduate I'd like to work for a few smaller studios and work on a variety of projects. I'd also like to go and work abroad in America or Europe. After the work I did on my placement I have become really interested in the installation-side of design, creating huge pieces that have a big impact on people. As a child I always wanted to work in automotive design, and I'd love to work for someone like BMW where you'd get to see people driving around cars that you had a contribution in designing.

Overview

Why study BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering at Middlesex University?

Course highlights

Find out more

Department

What our alumni say

Course content

What will you study on the BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering?

What will you gain?

BEng modules

Year 1

Design and Studio Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory

Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory

Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory

Year 2

Design Methods, Processes and Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory

Advanced Technical Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory

Advanced Technical Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory

Year 3 - Optional Placement

TKSW Placement (120 credits) - Optional

Year 4

Engineering Design Projects and Professional Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory

Professional Context (30 credits) - Compulsory

Design Manifestation (30 credits) - Compulsory

MEng modules

Year 1

Design and Studio Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory

Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory

Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory

Year 2

Design Methods, Processes and Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory

Advanced Technical Prototyping (30 credits) - Compulsory

Advanced Technical Design Tools (30 credits) - Compulsory

Year 3 - Optional Placement

TKSW Placement (120 credits) - Optional

Year 4

Engineering Design Projects and Professional Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory

Professional Context (30 credits) - Compulsory

Design Manifestation (30 credits) - Compulsory

Year 5

Team Project (60 credits) - Compulsory

Design Strategy (30 credits) - Optional

Advanced Topics in Design Engineering (30 credits) - Optional

Engineering Innovation (30 credits) - Optional

Teaching

Life at Middlesex

Entry requirements

Qualifications

Eligibility

Academic credit for previous study or experience

Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions

Qualifications

Visas and immigration

English language requirements for international students

Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions

Your portfolio

Your interview

Help with your application

EU / International students

Fees and funding

Scholarships, fees and bursaries

Careers

How can the BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering support your career?

Life at Middlesex

Facilities

Campus life

Staff profiles

Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu Head of Department, Design Engineering and Mathematics

Wyn Griffiths Senior Lecturer

Helena Ambrosio Lecturer and Designer in Residence in Design Engineering and Mathematics

Puja Varsani Associate Lecturer in Design Engineering and Mathematics

Student profiles

Contact us

Contact us

Explore

Contact

Visit

Related information

News

Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu
Head of Department, Design Engineering and Mathematics

Wyn Griffiths
Senior Lecturer

Helena Ambrosio
Lecturer and Designer in Residence in Design Engineering and Mathematics

Puja Varsani
Associate Lecturer in Design Engineering and Mathematics