Birmingham City University

The Faculty of Arts, Design and Media of Birmingham City University (BCU) has a proud tradition dating back to the School of Art’s foundation in 1843, and has an international reputation for the quality of its programmes.

With over 4,500 students enrolled on courses ranging from music and theatre to art and media, BCU is one of Britain’s leading providers of talented professionals to the creative industries.

The Faculty’s arts provision includes a specialist music conservatoire, drama school, a leading provider of media training, and the UK’s largest regional centre for art, architecture and design education, incorporating Europe’s largest jewellery school.

Programme Overview
Programme Introduction

The BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design programme focuses on the design and development of creative, contemporary and innovative products and furniture, considering user-centred design, social context and commercial understanding. Throughout the degree, students will be encouraged to explore materials, techniques and processes in relation to scales of manufacture, from one-off bespoke design to design for standardised mass production.

Students will be actively engaged in the process of designing and developing functional and desirable products and furniture, examining how social and cultural factors influence design decisions, including an understanding of design in response to collaborative, professional, commercial and economic considerations.

Programme Aims
This programme aims to:

• provide a range of research and design methods alongside continual practical skills development;
• develop practical skills throughout the programme through extensive workshop practice and develop skills in rapid prototyping and digitally driven techniques;
• enable students to develop abilities in effective communication, problem-solving, inquisitiveness, critical and creative thinking, and life-long learning; and
• enhance students’ employability, communication skills and professional practice.

Career Prospects
Graduates may pursue a variety of career within the manufacturing industry or in consultancy, as design practitioners, or design managers. Related fields of employment such as sales and marketing, product design innovators or design research are also options for the graduates.

Programme Structure

The programme structure is as follows :

Assessment

Students are assessed on the submission of course work and a presentation of their work based upon the module learning outcomes. This will include research and developmental work, such as technical processes and exploration of concepts and ideas and professional presentations of final creative visual outcomes. Major Design Project (Development & Realisation) is marked for proficiency at final assessment by an academic panel.

Entry Requirements

Graduates of the following VTC Higher Diploma (HD) and Professional Diploma (PD) programmes:

• HD in Furniture and Lifestyle Product Design
• HD in Product Design
• HD in Product Design (Jewellery)
• HD in Product Design (Timepiece and Lifestyle Product)
• PD in Product Design, and have
  i. completed and passed the bridging module Graduation Project; and
  ii. at least 3 years of relevant work experience.

Applicants possessing an alternative qualification deemed equivalent to a UK FHEQ Level 5 qualification in a cognate discipline will be subject to a review of the applicants’ portfolio of work and an admissions interview. The interview will also take into account applicants’ prior professional experience according to Birmingham City University’s relevant policy.

English Proficiency Requirements

• Graduates of VTC HD programmes are considered to have met the English language requirement as the VTC HD programmes are taught and assessed in English, the graduates are exempted from further English Language entry requirement.
• Graduates of VTC PD programmes should have:
  i. been awarded the PD with either merit or distinction; or
  ii. attained IELTS 6.0 or above, or equivalent.
• Applicants not having achieved the “English Proficiency from VTC programmes” stated in “Entry Requirements” should have attained IELTS 6.0 or above, or equivalent.