Study Industrial Design - Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa
Industrial design is an exciting and rapidly evolving profession. AUT industrial and product design graduates are award-winning and well-prepared for a changing future. Join us, and gain practical skills and industry connections.
Industrial design at AUT focuses on good design for a better world. Products we design can be tangible, three-dimensional manufactured objects like consumer products, furniture, packaging, medical and sports equipment, or they can be systems, services and interfaces, always with innovation as a main driver.
At AUT, you work in open plan design studios and have access to world-class technologies, facilities and workshops.
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This is part of the Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa.
The Industrial Design major is future focused, and throughout your studies you'll work with industry in creative ways to solve real-life problems through good design for a range of industrial design projects.
Year 1
You'll be introduced to industrial design practice, design processes and design thinking. Your design studio projects will be hands-on and collaborative, and you'll develop fundamental design skills, theories and processes.
You'll spend time in our workshops making things and be introduced to key drawing and communication skills.
In Semester 1, you study the following core courses:
- DESN511 Introduction to Design Practice
- DIGD507 Mahitahi | Collaborative Practice
- DESN512 Making and Media
In Semester 2, you study:
You’ll also start your courses from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses.
Year 2
You'll undertake more sophisticated creative projects and deepen your knowledge of industrial and product design practice. This includes working with industry-standard digital modelling software, and building an understanding of industrial manufacturing technologies.
You study the following courses:
- PRDD611 Industrial Design Practice II
- PRDD612 Industrial Design Practice III
You’ll also continue to take courses from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses.
Year 3
We'll help you work through your own design project from initial ideation, through research and development, to prototyping and exhibition. You'll focus on human-centred design and position your work in terms of existing theory and practice.
You study the following courses:
- PRDD711 Industrial Design Practice IV
- DESN711 Integrated Design Practice
You’ll also continue to take courses from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses.
Industrial design projects
You work more independently on product design projects, in partnership with industry partners like:
- Macpac
- Citta Design
- Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
- Auckland District Health Board
- Auckland Council
- Zespri
Build your degree
Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.
Career opportunities if you study industrial design
- Product and industrial designer
- Furniture or packaging designer
- Ergonomic medical equipment, sport or performance wear designer
- Service and experience designer
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Other majors in the Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa
- Real-life projects alongside our industry partners
- Dynamic and collaborative learning environment
- World-class facilities including 3D labs and rapid prototyping laboratory
- Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
- An idea generator
- Environmentally conscious
- A design thinker
- A practical problem-solver
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.