Curious about studying Product, Furniture, Ceramics (with a Placement Year) - BA (Hons)at University of Staffordshire? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Stoke-on-Trent Campus
Full Time
Sep 2026
4 Year
Become a creator of the future. Design and Make innovative, contemporary products from domestic furniture to sustainable products, housewares and ceramics to high levels of craftsmanship using a diverse range of materials, processes and practical skills. The emphasis on ‘Thinking through Making’ provides a hands-on holistic approach where students not only learn technical skills but also develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities through creativity.Our course is taught by leading academics and practitioners who will be at your side throughout your journey to provide you with the knowledge, skills and support you need to take the first step to a successful career in Product, Furniture, or Ceramics in our dedicated design studios and 3D workshops.Your work will be promoted through design competitions, major graduate shows and external exhibitions. Our students have won prestigious national and international awards, including the Tom Faulkner award for Distinct Furniture and Craftsmanship, New Designers Best Stand, M&S Homeware Award, Pentland Brands Award, Sainsbury's Homeware Award, Formica Award for Excellence and consecutive year on year winners for excellence from both Valentine Clays and Potclays.Through our strong links with industry, you will get to work on live projects with global leading brands such as Vitra, Wedgwood, Habitat, M&S Home, Tom Faulkner furniture ltd, SCP, Kevala ceramics, KEF and Robert Welch.You will get the chance to visit leading design studios, manufacturers and exhibitions both in the UK and internationally on our vibrant optional educational visits, to places like New York, Copenhagen, Milan and London.You can choose to specialise in the third year, tailoring your projects to your target career, whether you want to be a Product Designer, Ceramicist, Furniture Maker or Entrepreneurial Designer-Maker.Our course is accredited by the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD), that recognises the quality and relevance of our course content. A number of modules are industry-sponsored, with free materials for students, prizes and placement opportunities. On successful completion of our course, you will have created a professional portfolio of work that will make you employable as a distinct individual.Our students graduate as competent individuals - some become designers with companies like M&S Home, Habitat or Wedgwood. Others setup their own businesses as designer-makers, or progress onto postgraduate study. On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Product, Furniture, Ceramics
This will be your first taste of a live project ? designing for a client from industry, just like in the real world. Working with a client is an excellent way to sharpen your skills in research, design ideation, listening, reasoning and verbal communication. Building relationships in a business context and providing a compelling solution to a client?s brief will make you a more professional and innovative designer. Consequently, you will have the confidence and skillset to work constructively and successfully with a client in future modules. Module code: PROD40100
During your first workshop-based module you will be introduced to a range of core materials and processes. We will underpin your learning experience through a selection of approaches in physical practice, enabling you to use the extensive workshop facilities independently but also gaining the essentials for high levels of craftsmanship. Your skills learned in this module will form the grounding to your exciting future creative career.
Visual communication is a key skill to becoming a great designer. You will learn how to improve your drawing and rendering in 2D so that in future you will confidently communicate your ideas effectively and with flair. With daily practise you will become accomplished in a variety of drawing and rendering styles in different media, master different levels of visual information while understanding the remit of designers in the future. Visual communication skills will be used and improved on all future modules, they are an efficient and rapid way to progress multiple ideas to quickly explore a range of practical solutions to any given brief.
A designer?s ability to visually communicate a concept is incredibly important. In this module you?ll be introduced to software that allows you to quickly model and render a 3D object, as well as how to export digital models for 3D printing and technical drawings. You?ll follow on-screen demonstrations and develop the ability to apply learning to your other design projects. In following modules you?ll build on the techniques learnt in this module as you progress onto the more advanced Visualisation 2 and 3.
You will be able to quickly generate 3D models and visualisations to a professional level, giving you the ability to communicate your ideas effectively with people across a range of disciplines. This module builds on Visualisation 1, developing more advanced visualisation techniques. You?ll follow on-screen demonstrations and develop the ability to apply learning to your other design projects. The Visualisation modules sit alongside your other modules and provide you with the core skills required to produce high-quality, professional visuals.
This module will push your imagination, empowering you to think rapidly and creatively in response to a brief from a professional client. You will communicate your ideas visually and verbally, demonstrating that you know the impact of semantics and aesthetics using colour, form and texture to provide a variety of solutions to the clients? brief. Working with a client is an excellent way to sharpen your reasoning skills and it builds your ability to interpret their requirements and react to feedback. You'll become more resilient, adaptable and professional as a designer as a result of this module.
The client-led briefs will offer exciting opportunities for you within the commercial world as you work collaboratively with leading global brands. This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the relationship between the creative practice and the commercial environment. Within this module you will respond to a ?live brief?, in which you can explore batch and/ or mass manufacture production processes appropriate to the brief, such as high-pressure casting, slip casting, metal fabrication, wood forming and 3D clay printing.
In this module you will explore key topics, including Creativity and Innovation, Intellectual Property, Branding, Emotional Design, Sustainability and Costings, taking you another step closer to being a professional within the creative industry sector. In this module you?ll also reflect on your identity as a designer/maker and produce a brand identity to promote your practice.
CCC Grades/points required
Not currently available, please Contact University for up to date information.
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