Product Design Master's Degree - MSc/PgD/PgC

MSc Product Design students study the following modules:

• Design Management and Strategic Planning plus work placement (20 credits)
• The Augmented Design Process (20 credits)
• Advanced Design (40 credits)
• Product Development and Refinement (40 credits)
• Major Project (60 credits)

Exit points

• To gain a Postgraduate Certificate, you must pass Advanced Design plus one other 20-credit module (60 credits)
• To gain a Postgraduate Diploma, you must pass all modules except Major Project (120 credits)
• To gain an MSc Product Design, you must pass all modules (180 credits)

Lectures: Lectures are used to introduce theoretical, strategic, ethical, and technical frameworks underpinning contemporary product design practice. These sessions support understanding of design-led research, systems thinking, and AI-augmented processes, and are delivered with supporting visual material and case studies. Where appropriate, lectures are interactive and encourage discussion and critical engagement.

Tutorials and Seminars Tutorials and seminars are used to explore research, design theory, and case studies, supporting students in addressing complex and ill-defined design challenges. Peer discussion, critique, and problem-based learning are central. External practitioners and researchers may contribute through guest lectures and masterclasses, and industry engagement may include live briefs and project-based activity.

Workshops: Workshops and supervised studio sessions enable students to apply design processes, develop practical and technical skills, and engage in iterative design development. This includes prototyping, simulation, evaluation methods, and the use of digital and AI-augmented tools, supported by academic and technical staff.

E-Learning: E-learning is delivered through the University’s Virtual Learning Environment and supports both synchronous and asynchronous learning. This includes pre-recorded lectures, flipped learning materials, online learning activities, digital tutorials, and collaborative platforms for group work.

Contact Hours: Students are supported through scheduled academic support, including tutorials, critiques, research supervision, and feedback sessions. Progress is supported through regular interaction with academic staff and engagement in collaborative studio and group work. Additional academic skills support is available, including guidance on research methods, writing, ethics, and data analysis.

Students are expected to engage in independent guided learning, including research, reading, preparation for learning activities, studio-based design development, prototyping, testing, and preparation of portfolios, reports, and presentations.

Facilities: Students benefit from dedicated studio space within Cardiff School of Art and Design, alongside access to workshops, technical labs, and specialist equipment supporting both physical and digital prototyping. Facilities support simulation, evaluation tools, and software used in contemporary product design practice. Workshop inductions and technical support are provided.

We ask all our students to consider carefully the selection and use of materials within their project work both in terms of modelmaking and prototyping and for actual material selection in the Design for Manufacture stages of their project developments. As Product Designers the impact these materials have on the environment is core to our sustainability and ethical considerations.

For each module, assessment is as follows:

Design Management and Strategic Planning plus work placement (20 credits)

4000-word equivalent assignment comprising a 2000-word equivalent presentation (mid-module) and a 2000-word written assessment (end of module), each weighted at 50%.

The Augmented Design Process (20 credits)

4000-word equivalent assignment comprising a 2800-word written assessment (70%) and a 1200-word equivalent presentation (30%), both submitted at the end of the module.

Advanced Design (40 credits)

8000-word equivalent assignment comprising a 6000-word equivalent portfolio (70%) and a 15 to 20-minute presentation (30%), both submitted at the end of the module.

Product Development and Refinement (40 credits)

8000-word equivalent assignment comprising an 1800-word equivalent presentation (30%) and a 4200-word equivalent portfolio (70%), both submitted at the end of the module.

Major Project (60 credits)

12000-word equivalent assignment comprising a 2000-word equivalent research map (20%) submitted mid-module, and an 8000-word equivalent annotated portfolio (60%) with a 20 to 30-minute presentation (20%), both submitted at the end of the module.

Your future

This engagement helps ensure the programme maintains strong links with industry and continues to prepare graduates for contemporary and future roles within product design and related sectors.

The course is principally aimed at enabling students to develop their careers in the world of professional product design and development. A key advantage in achieving this aim is the industrial placement module.

On completion of the course, graduates may expect to find employment in design consultancies or manufacturing companies anywhere in the world.

Your study with us will enable you to develop professional contacts, observe how successful practitioners make their living, and hone your skills and ideas for commercial and professional advantage. Such cross-disciplinary collaborations prepare you for a world where you will inevitably work with people from all walks of life. Your live projects and assessments will get you accustomed to the importance of deadlines and working to specific briefs and tight specifications.

All students are expected to complete a portable ‘record of achievement’ and use their PDP to support employability and life-long learning, normally in the form of a learning journal, that integrates opportunities for self-reflection in programmes in order to help them develop as effective and confident learners.

Industry Advisory Panel

The MSc Product Design programme is supported by an Industry Advisory Panel comprising experienced professionals from across product design, engineering, and service innovation sectors. The panel provides strategic guidance to ensure the programme remains current, industry-relevant, and aligned with evolving professional practices.

Members of the Industry Advisory Panel include:

• Professor Jarred Evans (PDR)
• Dr James Allum (AMRC Cymru)
• Poppy Farrugia (Neatt Product Design)
• Amy Richards (DHCW – Service Transformation)

The panel contributes to the ongoing development and review of the programme through:

• Advising on curriculum content and emerging industry trends
• Supporting the integration of industry-relevant skills, tools, and methodologies
• Providing insight into professional practice, employability, and skills needs
• Contributing to live briefs, guest lectures, and student engagement activities where appropriate

You will normally have achieved a first class or second class upper division first degree (1st or 2.1 degree classification) in an appropriate subject, and/or equivalent professional standing or experience in a design discipline (based upon assessed Accredited Prior Learning or assessed Accredited Prior Experiential Learning), or a discipline associated with their programme of study.

International Applicants

Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an IELTS 6.0 standard or equivalent. For full details about how to apply and English Language qualifications, please visit the International pages on the website.

How to Apply

Applications for this course should be made direct to the University via our self-service facility.

You will be asked to provide: a statement about your current work and practice and the interests which inform it; a succinct statement outlining why you wish to undertake this course; an outline of the professional or research project that you wish to pursue on this course; and a portfolio of your previous work (where appropriate) in support of your application. Images of your work or examples of written work can be submitted via a personal website or via an appropriate online platform (e.g. Flickr, Tumblr or WordPress). At least four different examples of your work should be referenced. All students are interviewed for this course. Where a face-to-face interview is not possible, these will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.

For further information please visit our How to Apply pages.

What’s included?

We offer a wide range of specialist facilities for our creative programmes, with dedicated studios, purpose-built workshops, and extensive technical equipment. You will have access to these workshops following successful inductions, and will be supported by a highly skilled technical team.

You will not be charged a studio fee and will be provided with all the essential materials that you need to learn the processes that your course requires.

Cardiff Met is an Adobe® Creative Campus, and CSAD students have access to the full Adobe® Creative Cloud at no additional cost.

We pride ourselves on leading the way in sustainable studio and workshop practices. Whether that’s carbon literacy, re-use, waste reduction and material science, you will be encouraged to use materials consciously as you develop your own way of working. You will also get:

• Dedicated studios for independent work or group study
• UK-based study trips that are core to your learning experience
• Creative digital facilities tailored to your course, such as specific software, print facilities or digital visualisation tools
• IT and library facilities, which include an extensive range of artists’ books, publications, journals, magazines, and digital resources to support your learning and research

What is an additional cost?

When developing individual projects, you will select and provide your own materials, many of which can be purchased at cost price on campus. We will support you in sourcing additional materials depending on your creative ambitions and budget, and in keeping with our sustainable and safe practices.

You may require course-specific equipment and tools, but this will vary depending on your practice. A joining pack will be sent to you before you start, containing detailed information about any recommended equipment including laptop specification advice. We recommend that you don’t make major purchases before receiving the joining pack or speaking with a member of staff.

Some examples of additional costs:

• Students will find a laptop or tablet helpful and will need to allow for the purchase of apps and software
• Optional UK or overseas study trips and exchange programmes
• Placements and associated costs such as travel and accommodation
• Optional access to Cardiff FabLab which is subject to charges for equipment use and materials
• Material costs when opting to use specialist equipment independently, such as digital fabric printing, 3D printing and laser cutting
• Other costs such as printing, copying, and the purchase of textbooks

For up-to-date information on tuition fees and financial support that may be available whilst at Cardiff Met, please visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/fees.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us.

For general enquiries, please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6010 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the Admissions Tutor, Gareth Barham:

• Email: gbarham@cardiffmet.ac.uk