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Product Design

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A

AAA in an Art and Design related A-level such as Design, Design Technology or Art and Design is desirable but not essential. Where an A-level Science subject is taken, we require a pass in the practical science element, alongside the achievement of the A-level at the stated grade. Excludes A-level General Studies or Critical Thinking.

Pass 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, 30 credits with Distinction and the remaining 15 credits with Merit or above, preferably including an Art and Design-related subject.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,D3,D3

D3, D3, D3 preferably including an Art and Design-related subject (desirable but not essential).

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language at grade C (4) or above or an appropriate English language qualification, plus a minimum grade B (6) in Mathematics and B-B (6-6) in Combined Science or equivalent.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

35

35 points overall, with 18 points at higher level preferably including an Art and Design-related subject (desirable but not essential).

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H1,H2,H2,H2,H2,H2

H1 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 preferably including an Art and Design-related subject (desirable but not essential).

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

DDD in Product Design, Engineering or an Art and Design-related subject. Please note - there may be different requirements for the older QCF BTEC's, please contact Admissions.

AA at Advanced Higher level preferably including an Art and Design-related subject (preferable but not essential), and AABBB at Higher Level.

UCAS Tariff

144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Full-time with time abroad | 2024

4 years | Full-time with year in industry | 2024

Subjects

Product design

Engineering design

Product design spans a wide variety of sectors and requirements by combining creativity with technical skills. The next generation of product designers could find themselves working on the design and development of physical products, such as electronics, furniture and other manufactured goods, but also on digital products such as software or apps.

Successful product designers bring together a variety of skills from different specialisms including the arts, engineering and technology, visualising and creating new products to meet the demands and challenges of the modern world.

Studying product design at Leeds will open up a whole world of opportunities for your career. You’ll develop your abilities and knowledge and gain the broad base of skills needed to work with designers from both arts and engineering backgrounds. You’ll also understand how to see a product development process through from developing user insights and creating concepts through to detail design and production.

This is a practical course, so you’ll benefit from specialist facilities including computing and prototyping facilities, as well as the technical expertise of our staff. Our design studios are equipped with the latest design software including SolidWorks, and the Adobe Creative Suite, and our model-making facilities include forming, laser cutting, foam model sculpting and CNC machines. You’ll also have access to a 3D printing system to convert your ideas into physical prototypes and test for form, fit and function. All of this means you’ll have everything you need to get started on your career in product design.

**Why Study at Leeds**
- Graduate with an accredited product design degree from a university ranked 7th in the UK for Manufacturing and Production Engineering and Art & Design, Complete University Guide 2022 and Top 100 in the world for Engineering, Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022.

- Work on your own design projects, putting into practice what you have learned by designing and producing prototypes and testing their performance.

- Develop your experience and boost your career prospects with our paid industrial placement opportunities or study abroad programmes.

- Experience cutting-edge learning and teaching from a programme team with extensive industry experience either as product designers or as active researchers in related fields.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Leeds

Department:

School of Mechanical Engineering

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

57%
Product design
82%
Engineering design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

69%
Staff make the subject interesting
71%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

56%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
54%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

73%
UK students
27%
International students
40%
Male students
60%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A*
A

Engineering (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
55%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
91%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
64%
IT resources
73%
Course specific equipment and facilities
27%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

78%
UK students
22%
International students
51%
Male students
49%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A*
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
83%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

42%
Design occupations
18%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
8%
Media professionals

Engineering (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£26,500
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

58%
Engineering professionals
6%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
3%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

Very few students study this subject, so there isn't a lot of information available on what graduates do when they finish - bear that in mind when you look at the stats above. Most graduates get jobs in engineering or management, but if you would like to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen course, it might be a good idea to go on an open day and talk to tutors about what previous graduates went on to do.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£23k

£23k

£28k

£28k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Engineering (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£27k

£27k

£31k

£31k

£36k

£36k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here