Studies & Degrees in Product Design
Product Design Study Programs
Product design is the discipline of developing the objects people use: furniture, lighting, household appliances, tools, toys, vehicles, medical devices and packaging. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the work of industrial designers as combining art, business and engineering, and weighing the function, aesthetics, production costs and usability of a product. It is also called industrial design.
Students learn to take a product from idea to production. Courses include drawing and sketching, computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D modelling, materials and manufacturing processes, ergonomics, model making and prototyping, design history and user research. Most teaching is project-based and takes place in studios and workshops. The University of Brighton, for instance, says its students learn to design sustainable, socially conscious, commercially viable and technically sound solutions.
Qualifications and levels
Product design is taught in two kinds of institution: engineering schools, where the degree has more mathematics, mechanics and manufacturing, and art and design schools, where it centres on studio projects.
- Spain, university route. The degree is usually called Grado en Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto, an official bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits. The Universidad de Sevilla teaches it over four years at its Escuela Politécnica Superior.
- Spain, design school route. Official higher arts education in design has four specialisms: graphic, product, interior and fashion design. The study plans cover four academic years of 60 credits each, 240 credits in total, and lead to the título superior de diseño. The qualifications are official and valid throughout Spain. Private design schools may also award their own or foreign qualifications; ask each school what recognition its diploma has.
- United Kingdom and Ireland. English honours degrees normally take three years. The Product Design BSc(Hons) at the University of Brighton lasts three years, or four with a placement year, and is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers. The BA (Hons) Product Design at The University of Northampton lasts three years full time, or four with a foundation year. At Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), the Bachelor of Science in Product Design takes four years and has 240 ECTS credits.
- Master's degrees. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Master's programmes let designers specialise, for example in transport, furniture or interaction design.
Where to study product design
SpainExchange lists 27 active schools for product design. The United Kingdom has seven, Spain six and the United States four; Germany has two, and New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have one each.
In the United Kingdom the list includes the University of Brighton, The University of Northampton, Manchester Metropolitan University, London Metropolitan University, the University of Wolverhampton, York St John University and The University of Edinburgh. In Spain it includes the Universidad de Sevilla, the Universidad Europea de Madrid, LCI Barcelona, Marbella Design Academy and the Centro Superior de Diseño Hacer Creativo in Zaragoza. Other examples are the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Ferris State University, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, TU Dublin and the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile.
Programmes are generally taught in the language of the country. Design schools commonly ask for a portfolio: Manchester Metropolitan University requests one with the application. International applicants to English-taught degrees need proof of English; the University of Brighton asks for IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each element.
Costs
Fees depend on the country and on whether the institution is public or private. Two published examples, as listed when this page was checked in October 2026: the Universidad de Sevilla, a public university, shows a price of €12.62 per credit for its degree, and TU Dublin lists fees of €3,000 per year for EU students and €14,500 per year for non-EU students. Confirm current fees with each school.
Careers
Product designers work in design consultancies and in the design, technical and product development departments of manufacturers. The Universidad de Sevilla names sectors such as furniture, lighting, ceramics, and plastics and metal processing. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, industrial designers typically need a bachelor's degree and an electronic portfolio of design projects. It projects employment of industrial designers in the United States to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations, with about 2,800 openings a year. These figures refer to the United States only.
Frequently asked questions
Is product design an engineering degree or an art degree?
It can be either. In Spain the university degree is an engineering degree (Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto), while design schools teach product design as a specialism of higher arts education in design. In the United Kingdom both BSc and BA degrees exist.
How long does a product design degree take?
Four years and 240 credits in Spain. English degrees such as those at Brighton and Northampton take three years, or four with a placement or foundation year. The TU Dublin degree takes four years.
Do I need a portfolio to apply?
Often, especially at art and design schools. Manchester Metropolitan University, for example, asks for a portfolio as part of the application. Engineering-based degrees in Spain admit students through the general university admission process.
Are design school diplomas official in Spain?
Official higher arts qualifications in design are valid throughout Spain and have 240 credits. Other schools award their own or foreign qualifications, so ask each school which qualification it awards and what recognition it has.