BlogUniversityWhat It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS

What It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS

UTS Product Design - Fact Sheet

Are you a creative person who enjoys seeing your designs come to life? Would you enjoy improving others’ lives through your innovations? If so, you might want to consider studying a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS.

Want to know more? Keep reading on! 

What is a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into Product Design at UTS
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

What is a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS?

In a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS, students work on their design skills and explore innovative models related to the product design industry. It’s a degree that mixes the creativity of an Arts degree with the practicality of an Engineering degree.

Here, students find the best of both worlds wherein their designs are intended for real-life products!

UTS Product Design - Student Quote

Can this degree be studied in conjunction with another?

While a Bachelor of Design in Product Design does not need to be studied with another degree, there is the option to take on a double degree with the following degrees: 

If you do choose to take on a double degree, this will extend your time at uni, but you’ll graduate with double the qualifications and skills!

Honours

After the completion of the third year, students may be interested in applying to study an additional one-year Honours degree. They must have attained a minimum WAM of 72.5 or if their WAM does not meet this, they have the option of demonstrating their merit by submitting a digital portfolio.

Career Paths

Students who have graduated from a Bachelor of Design in Product Design will most likely be working as a product designer. However, they’ll find that their career paths are vast as the product design industry covers all aspects of life, both locally and globally.

Depending on their interest, graduates can find themselves working in:

    • Commercial product designs
    • Health
    • Packaging
    • Humanitarian work 

Core Units for this Degree

In a Bachelor of Design in Product Design, there are 14 core units:

Understanding Three-dimensional Form is an important first-year unit that introduces students to the foundational methods of constructing 3D models. By learning to build simple models by workshopping in the studio, they gain the technical skills to construct complex forms in the later years of their degree.

The second-year unit Informing Product Design, on the other hand, looks into the Industrial Revolution and students use the historical perspectives to inform their own design of contemporary products such as coffee-cup lids and skylights. 

Are there any specialisations?

There are no specialisations in a Bachelor of Design in Product Design. However, 12 credit points worth of electives are allocated for students to develop a deeper knowledge of certain areas, such as marketing, graphics, 3D prints and service design. 

Can you gain work experience?

While there are no built-in internships or placements, the third-year core unit Product design Major Studio consolidates the student’s learning and prepares them for their career practices. Here, design professionals work as studio leaders to ensure that the students’ design capacities meet the current professional practice. 

 

How to Get into Product Design at UTS 

The ATAR cut-off for a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS is 78.15. However, there are certain flexibilities that may make an applicant eligible, even if they have not met the ATAR cut-off. 

Alternate Pathways

Applicants can check the Year 12 Adjustment Factors scheme to see if they have been awarded extra points towards your ATAR. Points are awarded based on the applicant’s performance on HSC subjects that are relevant to their course, with a maximum award of 5 points. For example, receiving a Band 6 in Design and Technology awards the applicant an extra 5 points to their ATAR.

Alternatively, a Diploma of Design and Architecture at UTS College allows an applicant to be fast-forwarded into a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS. Upon completion of the diploma, they will receive 36 credit points which contribute to the degree. 

Assumed Knowledge

The only assumed knowledge for a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS are any two units of English. However, Visual Arts is a recommended subject. There are no additional assessments to apply for the course. 

Scholarships

Scholarships can give both financial and career benefits, so students are recommended to apply for them. For example, current school-leavers with demonstrated financial disadvantage can apply for the Vice-Chancellor’s Merit Scholarship and the Vice-Chancellor’s Outstanding Achievement Scholarship.

For people who are interested in studying abroad, the New Colombo Plan Scholarships Program is a scholarship valued up to $69,000 if they choose to attend a UTS-partner university in the Indo-Pacific region. 

What’s the Teaching Format?

A Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS is taught in semesters rather than trimesters. Classes are a combination of lectures and practicals. 

Class Structure

UTS Product Design - Class Structure

Lectures

Lectures provide the general knowledge of the unit. While most lectures are aimed at building the student’s theoretical foundation, some lectures will be interactive where students will be required to complete tasks and questions for the lecturer.

Usually, lectures have an attendance of 70 people and are typically one hour long.

Practicals

Practicals are smaller hands-on classes that are based in the studio, where students will work assessed design projects. Under the supervision of a studio leader, design projects are mainly collaborations with a team and involve designing, prototyping, testing and reiterations until the completion of a final product.

In some classes, students learn new skills related to certain design concepts and complete in-class models. Practicals have an attendance of 20 people and are normally 3 to 4 hours each session. 

How much time do you spend on campus?

Compared to non-design degrees, the contact hours in a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS is quite heavy. Students spend around 15-20 hours per week attending their lectures and practicals. 

What are the assessments like?

The main assessments in a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS consist of presentations and final projects. 

Throughout the semester, students will usually have at least one presentation in which they are assessed on the design of the products, how it has been developed and its functionality in the real world. Alternatively, the presentations will consist of participating and engaging in studio sessions. These assessments normally weigh around 20 to 30% of the whole unit’s grade. 

Final projects often include the completion of a product in either a 2D representation of the real-life product or in a tangible 3D representation. Students are assessed on factors such as its innovation, functionality and commitment to the design process. These assessments usually have a weighting of 50 to 60%. 

What skills do you refine and learn?

UTS Product Design - Skills

By studying a Bachelor of Design in Product Design at UTS, students enrich their ability in communicating visual information and ideas into both digital and traditional mediums. As the product design involves the planning of real-life objects, students are taught to build accurate representations of their designs with rigour and care. In addition, students are encouraged to strengthen their innovative capacity through curiosity and imagination, especially through studio critique and their design theories.   

As a main part of product design requires the improvement of current products, students are taught to be analytical and value alternative points of view in the consideration of their design process. Here, students use design concepts to pinpoint problems and resolve them by testing their prototypes and reiterating their designs. 

What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

Faculty

Although students and staff in a Bachelor of Design in Product Design represent a small cohort at UTS, they have shown themselves to be highly supportive and cooperative during and outside of class. As a technology-based university, UTS facilities are leading-edge and offer many production resources to support creative projects.

Often throughout the semester, tutors and lecturers will announce student showcases and competitions that students can participate in. These opportunities are essential for any aspiring designer who seeks to improve their professional practices!

Culture

Being a part of the large and thriving design community at UTS, design students will easily find like-minded people through joining societies and attending events!

The UTS Design Society offers many events that are both productive and social such as Logo Design workshops, design competitions and graduation exhibitions. Participating in these events are not only fun as you will meet new people, but will also help in career networking and finding paid design opportunities. 

Support Programs

U:PASS (Peer Assisted Study Success) sessions are always available to any student who are experiencing any doubts about their assessments. In U:PASS sessions, students can talk to and be taught by U:PASS leaders, who are trained senior students who have performed well in the subject.

Interested in the pros and cons of this degree? Check out our article here!


Lynn Chen is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is a Communication student at UTS with a major in Creative Writing. Lynn’s articles have been published in Vertigo, The Comma, and Shut Up and Go. In her spare time, she also writes poetry.

 

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