The third year of this course is spent in industry. You will receive support in applying for a year-long placement with an appropriate company. During the placement you will significantly enhance your engineering knowledge and skills. You will have regular meetings with your tutor throughout the year and will remain fully registered with the University.
Course overview
Our four-year BEng Product Design and Manufacture course combines creativity with engineering principles.
The course is unique due to our engineering, analytical and manufacturing content, giving you a technical and real-world view of product design.
In addition, your industrial year will provide you with real-world experience within design or a similar field, offering the perfect opportunity to apply your knowledge to meet business needs and develop your professional practice.
Our course utilises modern technology - from digital sketching through to high end 3D printing, rapid prototyping facilities and virtual reality equipment, to ensure our graduates leave prepared for the modern world of product design.
Our graduates are highly sought after, going on to work for top companies including Dyson, Jaguar Land Rover, Unilever, Caterpillar and L'Oréal.
Indicative modules
About modules
The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Tuesday 25 March 2025. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.
Teaching methods
- Group study
- Independent study
- Lab sessions
- Lectures
- Supervision
- Tutorials
- Workshops
Assessment methods
- Coursework
- Examinations
- Group coursework
- Presentation
- Research project
- Practical assessment
Engineers are among the busiest students on campus. On average, you will have around 20-22 contact hours a week in years one and two. Combined with coursework and self-study, you are likely to spend over 40 hours a week on your studies.
Our courses provide the opportunity to specialise through a choice of subject modules and practical work.
You will gain the practical and theoretical skills needed to design commercially viable products and services within the industrial design sector. Your skill set will be well suited to both small design-based consultancy roles as well as large multinational organisations. In addition, your abilities in communication, problem solving, and creative thinking will make you highly employable in several alternative roles.
Our graduates work for a diverse range of employment sectors with companies including:
- Dyson
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Morphy Richards
- Bosch
- Unilever
- Caterpillar
- Tesco
- Triumph Motorcycles
- Smith and Nephew
- L’oreal
Average starting salary and career progression
90.4% of undergraduates from the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £29,032.
*HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017-2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.
Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.
Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.
Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.
The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2023, High Fliers Research).
Whilst on the course we have looked at and designed a wide variety of products from medical items to kitchenware, giving us experience of designing for different sectors. I’m doing my placement year with Mondelez International and am working in seasonal packaging. It’s enabled me to gain experience in the FMCG sector and increased my expertise in a variety of areas such as CAD and the awareness of manufacturing.
Emma Hill
Product Design and Manufacture student
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