Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

(a)  To enable technical or design graduates to advance their knowledge and skills to a higher level.

(b)  To enable technical or design graduates to develop their knowledge in a focussed way, through the choice of specialised routes through the course, to improve their effectiveness as designers.

(c)   To enable technical or design graduates to undertake a substantial design and evaluation project with a focus on a particular area of design.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

Although subject benchmarks are only available for undergraduate degrees in Art and Design, and Engineering, this programme can demonstrate progression from those benchmarks in all areas. 

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

K1 -     current problems and/or new insights of their academic discipline;

K2 -     techniques applicable to their own subject area;

K3 -     sustainable solutions to problems and have strategies for being

creative, innovative and overcoming difficulties by employing their knowledge in a flexible manner;

Programme Specific:

K4IndD - the major arguments and issues in Industrial Design practice;

K5DIS – the major arguments and issues in Sustainable Design practice; 

K6UXD - the major arguments and issues in User Experience Design practice;

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

C1 - continue to advance their knowledge in their area and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level;

C2 – formulate decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations;

C3 -     identify with, respond to, and critically reflect upon the opportunities and dynamics for learning with their peers and other external contexts;

C4 - act autonomously in planning and in implementing tasks.

Programme Specific:

C5IndD - Interpret industrial design techniques and downstream manufacturing options;

C6DIS - Interpret Sustainable Design tools and policy documents;

C7UXD - Interpret User Experience and human behaviour data;

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

P1 -  the ability to use a range of techniques and research methods applicable to advanced scholarship in the subject relevant to the discipline;

P2 - be rational and pragmatic, and undertake the practical steps necessary for a

concept to become reality;

P3 - be numerate and highly computer literate, and capable of attention to detail when dealing with specific software tools;

Programme Specific:

P4IndD - the ability to use a range of different Industrial Design presentation techniques;

P5DIS - the ability to implement a range of sustainable design tools to evaluate the impact of products, services and systems;

P6UXD - the ability to create simple interactive screen based designs;

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able demonstrate transferable skills in:

T1 - professionalism – including acting professionally in accordance with ethical proprieties;

T2 - problem solving – including clarification of questions, consideration of alternative solutions and evaluation of outcomes;

T3 - communication – including visual, written and oral presentation and discussions;

T4 - management – including self learning, and project and time management;

T5 - methods and methodologies applicable to teamwork;

T6 - communicate ideas, concepts, theories, and arguments with different audiences through a range of practical methods and outcomes including visual, written and oral.

4. Programme structure

In the following table, ‘c’ indicates a compulsory module.

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to be eligible for an award, candidates must meet the requirements specified in Regulation XXI.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification