Program Overview
The Product and Furniture Design BA (Hons) at Bath Spa University equips students with skills in sustainable design, manufacturing, and innovation. Through hands-on projects and industry collaborations, the program develops creative, digitally-literate designers who thrive in the global design industry. The program culminates in a professional-level design project that prepares graduates for careers in design and manufacturing.
Program Outline
Product and Furniture Design BA (Hons) - Bath Spa University
Degree Overview:
This contemporary Product and Furniture Design degree aims to equip students with the practical and critical design skills necessary to thrive in the global workplace. The program focuses on addressing the future needs and challenges of sustainable production through materials, making, and innovation. Taught by design and industry experts, the program fosters confident, creative, digitally-literate, and critical designers.
Outline:
Program Content:
- Develops a foundation of technical and practical design skills.
- Explores manufacturing processes, from traditional techniques to computer-aided design (CAD) and digital fabrication.
- Works with a wide range of materials.
- Develops a unique creative vision through practical, project-based briefs.
- Emphasizes essential professional skills and entrepreneurship.
- Fosters flexible problem-solving and expert collaboration.
- Addresses the future of design and manufacturing, with a focus on sustainable design, production, and materials.
Structure:
- Year One (Level 4):
- Develops core design skills, including sketching, model-making, digital and analogue making processes, material knowledge, and experimentation.
- Acquires skills in design communication, visualization, research, and prototyping.
- Develops understanding of small to large-scale production.
- Provides access to technical workshops.
- Introduces students to library resources and critical issues in contemporary design, such as the circular economy, distributed manufacturing, and experiential design.
- Year Two (Level 5):
- Deepens understanding of design practice and opportunities.
- Identifies personal direction in design.
- Applies focused design principles around sustainability and human-centered design.
- Engages with the design industry through external briefs and study visits.
- Explores design innovation with a global outlook.
- Supports entrepreneurial approaches to design.
- Provides experience in collaboration and project management.
- Year Three (Level 6):
- Further develops, challenges, and explores design and understanding of the field of practice.
- Undertakes a final research and contextual study project to underpin practice and critical thinking.
- Expands industry awareness and produces product solutions and design proposals.
- Presents work through a public platform for feedback and experience.
- Creates professional-level design work for presentation to an external audience, including the end-of-year degree show and potentially external shows like New Designers.
Course Modules:
- Year One (Level 4):
- Material Processes and Workshops
- Communications: Sketching and Drawing in 3 Dimensions
- Digital Making and CAD
- Production in Furniture and Product Design
- History and Context: Introduction to Material and Visual Culture
- Communicating and Externalising
- Year Two (Level 5):
- Sustainability
- Human Centred Design
- Industry Live
- Professional Practice
- Independent Project
- Design: Contemporary Issues and Practice
- Professional Placement Year
- Year Three (Level 6):
- Defining Your Practice
- Public Platform
- Visual and Material Culture: Final Study
- Final Project
Assessment:
- 100% coursework-based.
- Presented at the end of each module.
- Formal feedback provided to improve or develop work.
- Feedback from tutors and peers throughout the course.
Teaching:
- Hands-on approach.
Careers:
- Graduates work for national and global design and manufacturing companies, contemporary designers, and design marketing agencies, including:
- Disney
- Modus
- Matter
- Unto This Last
- Dyson
- KWMC-The Factory
- Benchmark
- Herman Miller
- Graduates also freelance, put their own designs into production, and exhibit internationally.
Other:
- The program offers a Professional Placement Year (UCAS code: TT19) for students to gain professional experience.
- Students can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which provides global awareness and an international dimension to their student experience.
- The program emphasizes engagement with industry through live industry projects, study visits, and collaborations with companies like Dyson, ASOS, Morey Smith, Hakwood, The Holburne Museum, Herman Miller, Creative Bath, Hay, and KWMC - The Factory.
- The program is one of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, providing students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite.
- The program is taught at the Locksbrook Campus, a Grade II listed building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw.
- The program is a name revision to the previously running BA (Hons) "Furniture and Product Design."
2024 entry Student Annual tuition fee UK full time £9,250 UK part time £4,625 International full time £17,585 Professional Placement Year During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students. UK: £1,850 International: £3,517
