Product Design Engineering Canterbury Christ Church University

Overview

The Product Design Engineering course from Canterbury Christ Church University has been designed in collaboration with industry and you’ll have excellent opportunities to develop professional engineering practice and work with a range of employers. You are also able to take control of your study focus, so if you have an innovative mind and flair for problem-solving, this course is for you. 

Product design engineers have key skills within an engineering team to help transform ideas into practical solutions, that can be trialled and tested to provide a reliable product, method or process.

On the course through on and off campus and on-line activities, you'll develop a wide range of transferable skills and will build your knowledge of the qualities of materials and of methods of construction and manufacturing to create successful products.

All about the course

The hands-on learning throughout the course developed on and off campus and through on-line learning will develop your practical problem-solving approach. This makes up 40-60% of each year of study so you can be a confident, work-ready engineer by the time you graduate.

You'll start by learning the essentials of mechanical related engineering, engineering evaluation, concept generation, design, prototype and testing real problems. You'll also develop your confidence in applying the fundamental science (laws of physics), mathematics and statistics principles, and computing skills in context to engineering. Through on and off campus and on-line learning, engineering laboratories and workshops you'll put theory into practice and you'll have the opportunity to work collaboratively on a group project in your first year.

As you progress through the degree, you'll be supported to gain specialist skills and knowledge in areas such as engineering product life cycle, CAD tools, Industry 4.0 technology, manufacturing control, instrumentation, and communication systems

In the final year, you'll work independently and collaboratively as part of a team on a major design engineering project.

Your future career

Product Design Engineers may work in several different sectors where they are required to use their creativity to develop new products and improve existing ones. They research ideas and processes that lead to new product development or transfer existing technology to new uses. They apply innovation and they generally work in multi-disciplinary teams alongside design teams, materials engineers, manufacturing engineers and mechanical engineers to make the solution a reality. They see a product transform from an idea at the conception stage right through to mass production. They work closely with the end users and customers to realise the market needs.

Product design engineers are sought after by a wide variety of industries for example:

• Embedded systems suppliers: designing the casing for electronics, from laptop case to WiFi router box
• Engineering fabrication workshops: designing, manufacturing and fabricating bespoke one-off parts and prototypes for a variety of customers.
• Financial organisations: design engineers are also highly sought after for their data processing and investigating abilities for industry audits, accountancy and consultancy
• Legal sector for technical reviewing, advising, and approving patents.