ObjectivesThe role of product designer is being increasingly recognised as a vital factor in the successful development of all manufactured products. This course offers an advanced study in plastics product design for science and engineering graduates in either full-time or part-time modes. It aims to provide you with the academic, professional and personal skills necessary to help you lead projects in product design, development and production. You will complete the course with a sound knowledge of the principles and processes of product design and the ability to design plastic products from a sound engineering base.
Entry requirementsAn Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant science or engineering subject. Applicants who do not have an Honours degree, but who have significant relevant experience will also be considered on an individual basis.
Academic titleMSc Plastics Product Design
Course descriptionCourse structure
This course is designed to cover all aspects of design with plastics. The course will cover the range of engineering polymers and their properties, to enable designers to select the best materials for a given application. The manufacturing process used is an important decision for designers and is covered in the course together with the computer modelling of such processes. The Polymer Centre has well equipped polymer laboratories and workshops, and the course contains many opportunities for practical work and pilot-scale production on advanced equipment for polymer processing and testing. The course is therefore both stimulating and challenging and will develop your knowledge, confidence, professional values and attitudes in preparation for a successful career in industry.
The course consists of four core modules, two optional modules and a project.
Core modules:
-Design for Manufacture
-Product Design
-Material Selection & Design
-Research Methods: Theory and Practice
Optional modules: two modules from:
-Polymer Materials Development and Design
-Mould and Die Design
-Process Design and Simulation
-Statistical Aspects of Product Design
-Industrial Practices
A project can be on any topic within the range of the course, subject to approval. The Research Methods module will prepare you for the project.
Assessment
Assessment is on a continuous basis for most elements of the course but a variety of techniques are employed, for example, assignments, written reports, group and individual projects, case studies, computational analysis, seminars and examination. The project is assessed by a dissertation.
Career opportunities
Course members will find employment in industries involved in the design, development and manufacture of products. Many companies require people with knowledge of design and material selection to keep abreast with the demand for new trends in the fashions of manufactured goods.
Attendance & duration
-Full-time: one year (maximum duration six years)
-Part-time: (one day a week), two to three years