Overview
Get a visual overview of this exciting programme by watching our colourful short video.
Our Integrated Product Design MSc degree focuses on the design of innovative products, emphasising the balance between the interest of users, industry, society and the environment. It covers the whole design process, integrating all aspects relevant to product development - technology, management, aesthetics, sustainability, ergonomics, marketing, business and design methods - to produce highly qualified and sought after designers able to cope with the challenges the global economy presents.
You’ll have access to modern facilities that include a dedicated master’s design studio and extensive prototyping workshops. The practical knowledge you gain is transferable to industry and provides you with a comprehensive skillset for global product and services design research and development.
Our integrated product design course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and is studied full-time over one year.
We encourage you to make use of our good links with industrial colleagues and undertake an optional industrial placement as part of your dissertation project over the summer. A placement gives you the opportunity to put what you’ve learnt into practice, and to apply it to a real working environment.
Made in Brunel is a unique, student-led initiative that showcases our design talent at its finest. Each year our students run a series of industry and community events leading up to the Made in Brunel exhibition. This annual showcase is a highlight of the London design calendar and promotes the incredible work our students produce to the creative community, and is your chance to network with key design professionals.
If you are interested in turning a product or technology idea into a business after your postgraduate studies, we are in partnership with the Central Research Laboratory (CRL), a design incubator for start-ups. You’ll have access to meeting rooms and work space as well as prototyping facilities. A team of in-house professionals will guide and support you at each stage and a number of our previous entrepreneurial students have successfully commercialised their products.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
You’ll take the taught modules in the first two terms and then move on to your dissertation. The dissertation may include a substantial practical design element, but in all cases will be assessed through a final 20,000 word submission.
Compulsory
- Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing TechniquesThis module aims to identify technical challenges in design modelling, communications and design integration in the context of global product design and development, to critically review IT technologies, computer aided design, evaluation and integration techniques in a range of integrated product design activities, to develop in depth knowledge in creative and virtual design theories, methods and evaluation tools, and to familiarise students with a range of different types of IT, CAD, CAE and UX/UI software enabling them to make informed evaluations of current and future systems.
- Design Innovation Futures: Seminar and Workshop ProgrammeThis module aims to establish clearly the relationship between and value of future forecasting and design strategy and innovation, to engage with the complexity of future forecasting and its’ implications for design-led management of change, and to incorporate the influence of current and future trends into recommendations from students own design and innovation research.
- DissertationThe dissertation allows students to research and critically evaluate well formulated specialist integrated product design research questions derived from their taught modules, key published research, seminar programme and the practical experience of the design research project. It aims for students to demonstrate an advanced use of digital design methodologies, design management and innovation, product design simulation and manufacturing technologies and conceptual tools derived from previous modules.
- Design Creativity and Aesthetic AwarenessThis module aims to provide students with the theoretical underpinning combined practical knowledge and skills in order to use enhanced creative skills and visual understanding as an integral part of their design practice, and at a level appropriate for the global and professional aims of the course.
- Human Factors in DesignThis module aims to develop an understanding of the physical, perceptual, cognitive and emotional characteristics of humans, to use the main qualitative and analytical methods of human centred design, to illustrate the practical application of human centred design techniques by means of examples chosen from the product, system and service industries, and to develop skills in multi-disciplinary thinking and multi-disciplinary design practice.
- Professional Design StudioThis module aims to encourage students to form strong, educated opinions about the broader social, environmental, economic and technological role of design in society and to be able to communicate and argue their opinions confidently, and to expand and deepen students’ knowledge of the design process and the differences between its implementation in external consultancies, corporate industrial environments and global organisations.
- Strategic Design Management and ResearchThis module aims to introduce students to, develop critical awareness of, and develop practical skills in strategic design management and research within the contemporary context of professional practice.
- Sustainable DesignThis module aims to identify the key current issues for the environment and socio-economic issues related to sustainability, to develop in depth knowledge of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and its strengths and its weaknesses, to conduct a streamlined environmental review of a product in the earliest stages of the design process, to evaluate a range of different views on environmental issues and practices, and to compare and contrast case studies of sustainable design practice.
This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
Our graduates are employed in companies ranging from design consultancies, research and development departments to research institutions and government bodies. Roles include design team leader, design project manager or design researcher.
UK entry requirements
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in Design, Engineering, or a related subject. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis.
Please note that we do not require a Design portfolio as part of the application for this programme. In the unlikely event that we do need this we will contact you.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£13,750 full-time
International
£25,000 full-time
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
The majority of teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person on campus. However, some modules may provide pre-recorded content for you to engage with prior to on-campus activities such as in-person seminars, face-to-face interactive sessions and/or face-to-face tutorials.
On-campus teaching and learning activities allow you to make the most of the Design facilities available on campus, e.g., workshops, computer rooms and dedicated studios. In-person teaching and learning activities also help you to integrate into the Brunel Design School community and connect with students from other year groups and other programmes.
Teaching and learning content (e.g., lecture slides) will be available online via the University Virtual Learning Environment, Brightspace. The majority of assessments will be submitted via the University digital assessment platform although a few may require in person attendance on campus.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Our design master’s degrees are delivered by a passionate cross-disciplinary lecturing team, and enhanced by design and branding professionals who are part of our extensive network of industry collaborative partners.
Study will combine lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical workshops, case studies, directed reading and independent research. You’ll work on live briefs provided by our industry partners. There will also be guest lectures from design and industry experts.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Your work will be predominantly assessed through practical project assignments including individual and group work and your dissertation.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.