MSc Product Design

Course details During this course units are taught intensively, usually over 4.5 days, and assessments normally take place 5-6 weeks after units have been delivered. Core units Project Management: You will master a range of techniques and gain the ability to handle contradictions in the knowledge base. You'll also apply analytical and critical thinking with respect to the planning of design and development projects, and learn valuable leadership skills. Design Interaction: Through a structured process and methodology, you'll develop a critical and creative understanding of interaction and ergonomic design methods. You'll learn to identify, analyse and define ergonomic design phenomena and compile a design specification. Materials Optimisation for Sustainability: Develop a deep knowledge of sustainable development based on a multi-disciplinary approach to minimising waste. You will also learn to identify and quantify environmental impacts during the life cycle of a product/service from raw material abstraction to end of life disposal, and execute real-world sustainable development strategies. Design Simulation: You'll develop an extensive understanding of strengths and limitations of current solid modelling applications in respect of part and assembly design. You will gain an understanding of the strengths and limitations of using simulation tools for analysing and validating industrially relevant design problems, and develop professional competence and critical awareness in using modern analytical techniques and tools for the product development process. Group Project: Develop the professional management skills required for working in a team to produce a solution to a technical problem. You'll learn to determine basic personality characteristics in self and others, undertaking a rationale analysis of how personality characteristics affect group dynamics, and understand strategies for managing self and others when working in a team. This covers strategies for team building and resolving conflict. Research Methods: This unit will adequately prepare you for writing a project proposal and for conducting and disseminating your Individual Master's Project. You will develop key research skills in areas such as literature reviews, critical analysis of research findings, project proposals, planning, experiment design and analysis, and dissemination. Individual Master's Project: Develop an understanding of the characteristics and implications inherent in the solution of a complex, real-world problem by undertaking a substantial, independently-conducted piece of work. Programme specification Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used. Download the programme specification for MSc Product Design. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.