Course description
In the 21st century global economy, today’s graduating designers can expect to work for multinational organisations both in their own country and abroad. They will work and live in environments that have different technical standards, procedures, cultures and languages. Furthermore, designers operating in global product design and development, increasingly work in virtual multinational teams using up-to-date information technology. This has created the need for a design course which focuses on international new product design and development. The new MSc in Integrated Product Design aims to meet this industrial demand by integrating technology, management, form, ergonomics, marketing, business and design methods to produce highly qualified and sought after designers able to cope with the challenges the global economy presents.
Why Study Integrated Product Design at Brunel?
Brunel has an international reputation in providing Product and Industrial Design education, with a number of very successful undergraduate courses in this area. This new MSc programme seeks to build on these well established programmes to provide advanced practical knowledge and skills to students. Students on this MSc will also benefit from our established and internationally respected research groups with existing knowledge and experience in scientific developments. The School of Engineering and Design has many strong established connections with companies such as Lenovo, Xerox, HSBC Company, British Airways. The existing support from such highly acclaimed businesses will play a significant part in the course through guest lectures and will be a useful resource for students wishing to undertake a placement for their dissertation project.
Course Details
This new course focuses on the design of innovative products, emphasising the balance between the interest of users, industry and society. The programme covers the whole design process, integrating all aspects relevant to product development, in particular global new product design. The course provides an integrated approach and promotes advanced studies in design theory, innovation methods, advanced design techniques, human factors and applied ergonomics, engineering, material and production science, sustainability and research methods.
Mode of Study
The programme can be studied full-time over 12 months, or can be undertaken within 2 years on a part-time basis. The first term of the full-time course includes 4 taught modules worth a total of 60 credits and the second term includes one thick module of 30 credits and two 15 credit modules. The thick module, Professional Design Studio, is a studio-based module, which will include guest lectures, research seminars and group or individual project practices. The projects can be based on design research or product/industrial design. The ‘Design Futures’ module will introduce the importance and potential value of future foresight techniques and develop a vision of the future and critically evaluate its implications for design, innovation and enabling technology. The ‘Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing Techniques’ module will introduce CAD and graphics based design modelling, rendering techniques and tools, product design simulation techniques and tools, rapid prototyping and manufacturing techniques. For the final four months of the programme (June to September), students will continue their projects to completion and undertake a dissertation project. Students are encouraged to undertake an optional industrial placement as part of this project.
Taught Modules
* Sustainable Design
* Design Research, Creativity and Innovation
* Integrated Design Management
* Cognitive Ergonomics in Design
* Professional Design Studio
* Design Futures
* Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing Techniques
* Dissertation Project
Careers
Graduates can expect to be employed in a wide range of companies, including design consultancies, research and development departments, research institutions and government bodies. Specific careers might include senior positions in design institutions acting as a design team leader, design project manager, design researcher and design policy maker.
