BSc (Hons) Sustainable Product Design (Top-up)
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Location: High Wycombe
- Duration: One Year
- Start Date: September 2025
You can also study this course:
Completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject? Top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Product Design.
If you want to socially and responsibly, create and make innovative and forward thinking designs, then this degree can help you level-up your skills and knowledge to lean towards an environmentally aware and technologically innovative approach, which is supported by a sound understanding of cultural and critical insight and user behaviour.
A sustainable product design course is essential to all walks of life, whatever industry you work in having the skillset to problem-solve and ensure the user-experience is as efficient as possible. The products and designs you create can change the future by answering ethical, environmental and social issues with tangible objects and well-considered concepts as we respond to global sustainability challenges.
A top-up degree is the equivalent of the final year of an undergraduate degree, and offers a chance to deepen your knowledge, skills and understanding of your subject, while also getting an internationally-recognised qualification.
If you have completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject, you can choose to top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree.
We’ve invested in workshops that replicate those you’ll find in industry. We keep on top of the best equipment, using professional facilities and software for your designing needs.
You’ll get hands-on with our industry standard 3D CAD systems, and benefit from our workshop facilities to produce 3D models, fully working prototypes, and computer models to demonstrate your design solutions. In these workshops you’ll be able to experiment with a range of different materials including wood, metal, ceramics and mixed media, developing traditional hand skills and working with new technologies such as our MetraSCAN 3D and utilising the latest CNC machining and techniques.
You’ll explore different solutions for several areas, engaging with live industry briefs as you use your expertise to create products with a purpose.
We also have specialist technicians and demonstrators on site to support and share their knowledge with you.
With a history of delivering expert craft, art, and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career. This rich history mixed with contemporary teaching techniques and hands-on learning, makes this course unique.
Led by a dedicated teaching team with a wealth of experience within the product design, model-making, and design visualisation industry, many of your tutors on this course are still involved with design practice and research. Not only will you benefit from a rich and varied programme, you will also have direct access to guest lectures, live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking opportunities with industry professionals.
Our Product Design degree is situated at our High Wycombe campus, a town with a rich history within furniture making and manufacturing.
With London only a short journey away, and access to a range of business and organisations relevant to product design, there are ample opportunities for visits to sites of historical and contemporary interest.
As well as this we are only around the corner from Oxford and Reading - other cities full of inspiration.
What will I study?
During your top-up year you’ll delve into how design must be structured, analysed, controlled and assessed in order that functions can be achieved by manufacturing in an efficient and economical way.
You’ll explore design methods that allow products to be manufactured, assembled and disassembled more efficiently, thus producing designs that are higher quality, easier to maintain, and are more efficient in the use of resources over their entire life cycle. Whole life costings, life cycle analysis techniques and cradle to cradle thinking will help to ensure that the environmental consequences of design choices are carefully considered.
You’ll gain key understanding of the roles, relationships, and responsibilities that can play a major part in progressing and sustaining your professional practice. This includes undertaking commissions and other work-related learning opportunities such as engaging with industry briefs and/or competitions, and to devise or engage in creative initiatives and collaborative projects relevant to your work. Live briefs set by clients may be featured, allowing you to gain experience with real world, industry challenges.
The modules you’ll study aim to ensure that your progress and projects during your time with us link to the specialised area of Sustainable Product Design that you wish to delve in to. Upon graduating from this course you’ll have a portfolio which reflects the specialty.
How will I be taught and assessed?
To achieve the full BSc (Hons) in Sustainable Product Design you’ll need to complete the modules listed, as well as a major project and a dissertation. These Projects are designed to present new challenges to you as you progress through the course. They involve working with varied briefs, clients and requirements. By the end of your time with BNU, you’ll benefit from a full portfolio of work to go to employers with.
The major project and dissertation will allow you to investigate a topic important to you within interior and spatial design. You will cover the whole research process, undertaking empirical investigation and analysis. You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will offer support and advice.
The Professional Practice module gives you the opportunity to undertake work-based learning or answer live industry briefs, gaining the practical and transferable skills you need for your career in the creative industries.
What are the course entry requirements?
A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.
Applicants will need to complete an interview and/or demonstrate portfolio work, further guidance is given on the portfolio advice tab.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Modules
This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.
What are the tuition fees
Home
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Home, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 per year *
International
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Overseas/International, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,150 per year *
Following the Government’s announcement of 4 November 2024, we will be increasing our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for UK students to £9,535 per year from the start of the 2025/26 academic year. Our part-time fees for UK undergraduate students will increase to £7,145 per annum. Please visit , on the Government’s website, for more information about the changes.
Tuition fees for Home undergraduate students (including with foundation year) may increase in subsequent years for both new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Government.  
Tuition fees for both new and continuing international students may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year.  
Tuition fees for postgraduate courses and CPD may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year. This increase will apply to both new and continuing students.  
We understand, and really appreciate, the significant financial commitment our students make when they choose to study at BNU. We take our responsibilities to our students very seriously, and are ambitious for each to reach their full potential and succeed in their chosen career. Our fees help us to continue providing our students with a high-quality education, and to invest in the services and facilities which create an excellent student experience at BNU.
The following factors will be considered by the University when we set the annual fees: measures of inflation such as the retail price indices; projected increases in University costs; and any changes in the level of funding for teaching received from the Government.
What are my career prospects?
Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. We also help you find employment after graduation. Have a look at our Careers and Employability pages to find out more.
With a range of new skills and experience working in a professional environment, you’ll have many qualities employers look for.
Our BSc (Hons) Sustainable Product Design top-up course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities, such as:
- product designer
- industrial designer
- automotive designer
- model maker
- design engineer
- exhibition and event designer
- furniture and kitchen designer
- display designer
- CAD visualiser and technician
- Production and Set Designer or Prop Designer and Maker.
