Courses and structure

The programme consists of three main elements that you will be required to attend:

• Design Context Study
• Core Studio Practice
• Engineering

The first and second year studio practice elements are supported by a set of courses taught by Goldsmiths staff, and courses are a mixture of lectures, tutorials and seminars, with supplementary laboratory work, industrial visits and workshops.

Year 1

Design Context Study – lecture and seminars at Goldsmiths
Design and Meaning (psychology and semiotics)
History and Theories (cultures of knowledge)

Core Studio Practice – based at Queen Mary, but delivered by tutors from both colleges
Studio-based design projects – Purpose and Performance
Workshop Skills
Methods and Processes (ideation and research)

Engineering – lectures and lab work at Queen Mary
Stress Analysis
Elementary Mathematics (for entrants without A-level mathematics)
Mathematics for Materials Scientists

Year 2

Design Context Study
Society and Culture
Ethics and Sustainability

Core Studio Practice
Design project – Human and Machine
Methods and Processes
Technical Studies (including CAD skills)

Engineering
Graphic Communications in Design and Manufacture
Structural Analysis

Year 3

Design Context Study
Project Identification and Research Methods
Dissertation

Core Studio Practice
Group design project – industry-sponsored
Individual design project – joie de vivre

Engineering
Innovation Strategy
Materials Selection in Design

Year 4

Design Context Study
Elective (choice of lecture series eg Poetics of Space, Design Learning, Creative Technologies)

Core Studio Practice
Individual (studio-based) design project with attendant report and exhibition

Engineering
Range of key specialist focuses from Fluid-dynamics to Nano-materials

Teaching

Teaching methods are tailor-made to suit the size of classes, the nature of the subject and the level of study. Courses generally involve a mix of lectures, tutorials, and seminars. Laboratory work, industrial visits or workshops also support some courses. Studio practice is undertaken by both group and individual work.

Assessment

Assessment is usually by coursework and an end-of-year examination.

In the case of Core Studio Practice courses, you are continually assessed, meaning that some of the work you do during the course will count towards the final mark, plus an end-of-year exhibition or portfolio submission.

For Engineering courses, you submit coursework (in some cases) and take formal examinations.

Design Context courses are assessed by written essays and/or course assignments.

Skills and careers

Skills

This programme aims to:

• develop your creative, analytic and critical skills
• equip you with technical and professional skills in design and engineering practice
• enable you to apply fundamental engineering and design principles in their design practices
• approach design in broad philosophical, economic and socio-cultural contexts
• encourage you to consider your responsibilities and the environmental impact of design
• support and promote multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary practices in and beyond design and engineering
• encourage and promote innovative, thoughtful, responsible, and well-considered work (practical and written).

Careers

Graduates from our Design degrees often find employment in the creative and cultural industries. Our graduates have:

• worked for top London design consultancies (Pentagram, Heatherwick Studio, Imagination, Moving Brands)
• worked for major UK companies (Selfridges, Eden Project, Oxfam)
• set up on their own as freelance designers
• progressed to become senior designers and design managers
• found employment in the public sector and NGOs
• had work commissioned for public spaces, private companies and charities.

Awards

Our students and graduates have also been successful in national and international competitions, including the coveted New Designer of the Year Award, RSA Design Direction Award, the Design Museum’s ‘Design Mart’ and NESTA’s Creative Pioneer Programme.

Further information

• Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
• Our alumni

About the department

The Department of Design

Design at Goldsmiths draws on a wealth of critical, theoretical and creative perspectives. We pursue distinct – and often radical – design practices, educational programmes and research.

We are known for pushing the boundaries of design, and have a strong reputation in the design industry. This is enhanced by the work of our design practitioners (staff and former students), who produce internationally acclaimed commercial and exhibition work.

The Department of Design is renowned for important research in sustainability, design and technology education, interaction design, critical practice, user experience, materials, design thinking and futures. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), 74% of our work was in the ‘internationally recognised’, ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world leading’ categories.

Facilities

Facilities within the department include:

• extensive workshops with wood, metal, plastics, casting and CADCAM/RP specialities, maintained by knowledgeable technical staff
• a textile studio
• a dark room for black and white photography
• computing facilities, including software for communication graphics, video, web-authoring and multimedia applications, and computer-aided design

Find out more about facilities in the Department of Design.

Staff

Teaching within the department is based on excellence in staff research and practice. All members of academic staff engage in research. This helps us remain at the cutting edge of theory and practice in design and in design education, meaning that your degree is dynamic and relevant to industry.

Find our more about staff in the Department of Design.