Furniture and Product Design BA (Hons)
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Furniture and Product Design BA (Hons)
Overview
The Furniture & Product Design course is based on the idea that knowing how to make something enables a designer to expertly explore functionality and the potential for beauty in material culture.
You will be taught to become a skilled designer, maker and to think carefully about the broader cultural, environmental and commercial context for your practice.
Formerly known as '3D Design', this course has created graduates ready to contribute thoughtful and relevant design work for over 25 years. Alumni of the programme have made an impact in a range of professional settings; designing lighting for companies like Anglepoise, developing complex furniture systems for airports, working alongside world-famous sculptors and in hundreds of other creatively rewarding settings.
You will learn within a vibrant studio and workshop-based community and be taught and assessed via a wide range of exciting design briefs.
Other courses you may be interested in: Product Design BA (Hons)
Entry Requirements 2027/28
Standard Entry
Standard Offer 112 UCAS Tariff Points
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.
Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Contextual Admissions 96 UCAS Tariff points
Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions and we understand that every applicant’s circumstances can be different, which is why we take a flexible approach and assess your individual circumstances and potential when reviewing your application.
To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo
GCSE Requirements:
Applicants will need Maths, Statistics, or Physics and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or equivalents.
Additional Requirements:
A portfolio of creative design work is required. Get advice on preparing your portfolio here:https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/coming-to-northumbria/portfolios/
International Qualifications:
We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.
If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language Requirements:
International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.
Fees and Funding 2027/28 Entry
UK Fee in Year 1: £10,050
The UK tuition fee for 27/28 is £10,050 and is set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase this fee in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. The remaining fees for 27/28 are to be confirmed and relate to the International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees may increase in subsequent years. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of the re-issuing of tenancy agreements. The University may increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift, as decided by the UK Government, up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments). If the University intends to exercise this right to increase tuition fees, notification will be communicated with all students affected by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right. Student fee loans have risen in line with the level of uplift decided by the UK Government. Extended Degrees: Students will pay the applicable Foundation Year fee in the first year of study. Tuition fees will follow the Level 4 cap in the first year of Undergraduate study, with tuition fees in subsequent years increasing as per the above information. * Fees subject to annual increases over the course of the period of study. Students will be liable for payment of any/all tuition fees which are not sponsored by their employer or other third party.
International Fee in Year 1:
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050. Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
This is the programme fee for your first year of study. The programme fee includes the international tuition fee, International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees may increase in subsequent years. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of the re-issuing of tenancy agreements.
Discover More about Fees, Scholarships and other Funding options available for UK and International applicants for 27/28 entry.
ADDITIONAL COSTS
Optional field trip. You can elect to attend the 2nd/3rd year study trip. In recent years, this has been to Stockholm Design Week and costs approximately £600 for 4 nights to cover flight and accommodation (subsistence is roughly equivalent to UK prices) Degree show costs – optional. Final year students may be given the opportunity to attend New Designers in London. If you choose to attend, you should allow for the costs of travel (approximately £40 return by coach or £100 return by train) and accommodation (approximately £95 pp per night in budget accommodation – hostel or air bnb). The costs of basic materials included in your tuition fees. If you choose to use specialist materials or services for your projects, you will have to cover these (costs will vary depending on the nature of your project). Throughout your course you will be expected to purchase specialist equipment, these may include layout pads, drawing pens & pencils, modelling tools, craft knives etc. These will vary in cost but as an approximate guide may range between £50-£100. Whilst we provide access to computers and software on campus machines and accessible via online remote access. If you choose to use additional software on your own personal machines then you will have to cover this cost. (Costs will vary depending on individual software packages.) We would also recommend that students have their own laptops/desktop: Mac or PC (cost will vary depending on the type and specification of the machine, anywhere between £700-£2800).
Year 1
You will develop your designing and making skills, knowledge and contextual awareness through studio and workshop-based learning. The teaching is centered upon a series of creative briefs and portfolio submissions. You will be encouraged to develop a personal approach towards the critical issues in contemporary design practice and develop your understanding of what material culture could and should be like.
Year 2
As you create ever more sophisticated pieces of furniture and product design during longer projects, you will learn how best to use the workshop as a venue for the creation and consideration of alternatives. You will learn to design through making, by refining the qualities of artefacts with reference to prototypes and your understanding of how those prototypes were made.
Year 3
You will have the option to undertake an industrial placement year, or study abroad at a range of partner institutions all over the world.
Year 4
A self-initiated Major Design Project will enable you to pursue your own interests in design. Informed by your research in the critical issues at stake in contemporary design practice, you will be encouraged to work with curiosity, imagination and ambition, to create a portfolio and collection of artefacts that demonstrate your knowledge and abilities upon graduation.
To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.
Furniture and Product Design BA (Hons)
The School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries is a leading centre for supporting and energising creative practice and academic study. Our inter-disciplinary research and experiential education is committed to the betterment of people, place, cultures, and societies. Our programmes are defined by the way we collaborate with communities, industry, and external partners to inform curriculum, your learning and contribute to wider society. Discover more.
Features & Benefits
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Experiential Learning: At Northumbria, every undergraduate course guarantees real-world experience.
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Research Power: Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021).
Careers & Employability
The Furniture & Product Design course has educated a significant number of successful designers over its 25-year plus history. Our graduates go on to pursue careers as designers and makers across the creative industries sector, including in furniture and product design studios, designing for manufacture, interaction design, in communications and branding and within the art world. As a student, you will develop the theoretical and practical skills required by professional practice within these fields and beyond.
A post-graduation Designers in Residence scheme supported by the course staff has also enabled entrepreneurial graduates to set up businesses, including the Deadgood furniture brand and David Irwin Studios.
Student Work
As a student, you will be encouraged to consider the positive contribution you could make to the world as a designer. You will synthesise aesthetics, function, technical knowledge, making skills, social responsibility and cultural awareness through a wide range of briefs.
Commercially driven projects might see you creatively utilise a manufacturer’s technical capacities and market position. New technologies could enable you to explore innovative forms, user-interactions or new approaches to sustainability issues. Diverse ideas and aesthetics from old or overlooked sources might inspire you to define new territories in contemporary practice. You will be empowered to develop and realise your vision of what material culture could and should be like.
Staff
Staff are supportive and enthusiastic teachers as well as being active design practitioners.
We regularly contribute work to national and international design exhibitions, ensuring our knowledge remains up-to-date and can inform your education. We have recently exhibited at New York Design Week, the Venice Biennale, and at shows around the UK.
Facilities
As a Furniture & Product Design student, you will benefit from generous access to studios, workshops and photography and computer facilities.
Studio spaces are set up for lectures/presentations as well as being suitable for creating sketch work and paper and card models. They will provide a base for you throughout your timetabled activities and beyond, as somewhere to share your learning experience with other students and staff.
Dedicated cabinet making, metal smithing, engineering, fabrication, 3D printing and CNC workshops are used to create prototypes. You will be inducted and supported in these spaces by specialist technicians, and work with increasing independence as your competence grows. You will make your own prototypes as part of a hands-on learning process.
Accuracy of information
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
How your course is delivered
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning.
Changes to your course
Most courses run as described on our website and in our marketing materials. Occasionally we may need to make changes, for example due to a change in the law or regulatory requirements, requirements of a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body, or our quality assurance processes. Where a change is significant (in line with the Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on "substantial changes"), we will consult with affected students in advance where the change is being decided, and will explain the reason for the change and inform you at the earliest opportunity.
If we make a significant variation to your programme, you are entitled to: request a transfer to an alternative, appropriate programme; withdraw and have your tuition fees adjusted; or raise a complaint through the Student Complaints Procedure.
Optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year. Where a module you selected is withdrawn, the options above apply.
Contact time
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
Images and video
The photography and video on this page are used for illustration. They may have been taken at different times and in different parts of the University, and may show facilities, equipment, staff, students or activities that are not part of this course. They are not a guarantee of the specific facilities or equipment you will use.
The course content, entry requirements and fees sections of this page, together with the Programme Specification, set out what this course includes. Our facilities are updated over time and may change during your studies.
Useful Links
Find out about our distinctive approach at
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp
Admissions Terms and Conditions
northumbria.ac.uk/terms
Fees and Funding
northumbria.ac.uk/fees
Admissions Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy
Admissions Complaints Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/complaints
Page last reviewed: 29 September 2026
