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- Birmingham City University
- Product Design with a Foundation Year BA (Hons)
Course options
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Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
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Location
Parkside Building Campus
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Study mode
Full time
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Start date
01-SEP-25
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Duration
4 Years
Course summary
This Foundation Year has been specifically designed to allow you to undertake an additional year of study to build stronger creative footings that ensure successful progression through your chosen degree.
Working in a friendly, lively and energetic environment, you will be given the freedom to expand your knowledge of practical skills, creative exploration and conceptual thinking, underpinned by broad critical understanding, academic writing and emerging theoretical principles.
Dedicated Foundation tutors, BA staff and experienced technicians will support you throughout the year and work closely with you to prepare you for progression. There will be a range of opportunities to work on collaborative and individual projects, aimed to build your social skills and identify your role as a developing practitioner.
Throughout the year you will be challenged with projects that question your current creative experiences and explore a breadth of experimentation to broaden your technical and critical understanding.
You will be encouraged to analyse methods and materials appropriate for creative development and to question your position in relation to historical, contemporary and future world scenarios. Both practical and written research tasks will be supported by one to one tutorials and small discussion groups to help you constructively build academic and social confidence.
The two first semester modules will form the building blocks for future work and will explore core principles of creative practice focussing on the development of technical confidence, study skills and productivity. The two final semester modules will encourage a positive integration between research and practice, challenging decision making and technical competency. This semester is designed to empower you with independent learning skills appropriate for your future BA studies.
On successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will have the flexibility to change direction and switch courses onto a related undergraduate degree programme within the College of Art and Design or the College of Digital Arts at BCU. In order to progress onto your BA Programme, you must successfully pass all four core modules (totalling 120 credits).
What's covered in this course?
You will examine the process of designing and developing functional, inclusive, and sustainable products and furniture, understanding how social and cultural factors influence design decisions. You will develop knowledge of design in response to collaborative, professional, commercial, and economic considerations.
Alongside research and design development skills, you will increase your practical knowledge through extensive hands-on exploration. Engaging with making from the outset enables you to fully realise design concepts and create convincing models and prototypes. With strong contemporary design thinking, you will explore various ‘scales of manufacture to position yourself within a global industry.
By working on live projects, work placements and collaborative projects, you will learn how businesses operate at a commercial, technological, ethical, and sustainable level.
Application deadline
29 January
Tuition fees
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£ 16,085per year
Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.
Entry requirements
Choose a qualification
QUALIFICATION TYPE
Access to HE Diploma :
Pass with 60 credits, 45 credits at level 3. Accepted subjects: Construction, Planning, Built Environment subjects preferred but other subjects also considered.
VIEW MOREUniversity information

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University League Table
92nd
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Campus address
Birmingham City University, University House, 15 Bartholomew Row, Birmingham, Birmingham, B5 5JU, England
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Subject ranking
52nd out of 84 1
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Entry standards
/ Max 239141 59%30th
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Graduate prospects
/ Max 10060.0 60%58th
4 -
Student satisfaction
/ Max 43.20 80%32nd
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