Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours)
Blended learning – on-campus and digital learning
Become an industrial designer with a degree built for the digital world. Swinburne’s Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) teaches you to tap into your inner innovator and creator.
From furniture to mobile phones, you’ll be ready for any design brief that comes your way. You'll think about materials, not just maths. Study the emotional impact of design, as well as the mechanics of structures.
This is a contemporary industrial design course, where creativity meets practicality (learn to start an online business!), new technologies and sustainability – a combination that will set you apart from the pack.
You'll also build up your CV with real industry experience while you study through our Work Integrated Learning programs, which are a guaranteed part of all our bachelor degrees and can include placements, internships or industry-linked projects. In this degree, in units DFM: Applied Innovation Studio 1 and 2 (DDD60030 and DDD60031) or Capstone: Industrial Design Major Project 1 and 2 (DID40001 and DID40002), you'll work on industry-linked projects to create 3D objects that people will reach for every day – beautiful, user-centred and technically flawless.
We welcome you to join the ranks of Alessi Design Award, James Dyson Award, Dezeen Global Graduate Show Top 10 and GOTYA winners, runners-up and nominees.
Every international student application is considered for a scholarship
Whether you’re living in Australia or overseas, you’re automatically considered for a scholarship of up to 30% off your course fees. Please check our updated entry requirements.
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Start dates
Hawthorn campus
- Semester 1 - 27 February 2023
- Semester 2 - 31 July 2023
Duration
4 Year/s
Full-time
VTAC codes
- 3400236201 (CSP)
- 3400236203 (IFP)
CRICOS code
085305B
Fees
A$37200 (annual for 2023)*
The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.
International students in Australia who hold student visas are required to study full-time and on campus. Courses that are taught entirely online are only available to international students studying outside Australia or those in Australia who are not on a student visa. Online courses are not available to international students in Australia who hold a student visa.
Swinburne provided access to a range of design software and labs with top-of-the-line computers. In addition, I had access to every tool I could dream of. From 3D printers to laser cutters and flatbed CNCs, all available for us to explore to our heart's content.
Jake
Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours)
From fold-up furniture to homes for bees, industrial design on show
A group of Swinburne Industrial Design Honours students are working on capstone projects for urban indoor and outdoor living. Sustainability and connection to natural spaces and materials, for humans and the insect population, are a common thread.
Course details
- Course structure, work integrated learning, career opportunities and professional recognition.
Course structure
Successful completion of the Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) requires students to complete units of study to the value of 400 credit points. All units of study are valued at 12.5 credit points unless otherwise stated.
View course rules and special requirements
| Units | Unit codes | Credit points |
|---|---|---|
| 20th Century Design | DDD10001 | 12.5 |
| Introductory Design Studio | DDD10006 | 12.5 |
| Product Visualisation 1: Hand Sketching | DID10001 | 12.5 |
| User Centered Design | DID10004 | 12.5 |
| Material, Finishes and Form | DID10006 | 12.5 |
| Product Visualisation 2: Digital Sketching | DID20007 | 12.5 |
| Contemporary Design Issues | DDD20004 | 12.5 |
| Furniture Design | DDD30004 | 12.5 |
| Design and Emotion Studio | DID20001 | 12.5 |
| Design for Manufacture 1: Materials and Processes | DID20002 | 12.5 |
| Product Visualisation 3: Surface Modelling and Rendering | DID20008 | 12.5 |
| Product CAD | DPD20001 | 12.5 |
| Design for Manufacture 2: Advanced Manufacture | DID30001 | 12.5 |
| Socially Responsible Design Studio | DID30002 | 12.5 |
| Products in Context: Theories of Industrial Design | DID30003 | 12.5 |
| Online Enterprise and Opportunities | DID30004 | 12.5 |
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Other studies
8 units (100 credit points)
Choose from a combination of the following course components to complete 100 credit points of other study. Students may also select elective units (12.5 credit points each).
Work Integrated Learning
Swinburne's Work Integrated Learning program provides additional opportunities for you to gain valuable skills and real industry experience in the form of placements, internships or study tours - all while earning credit towards your degree.
Choose a Work Integrated Learning option:
You'll get paid to work in an area related to your field of study for 12 months, where you'll combine hands-on learning with academic submissions, workplace reflection and feedback from your host organisation. Most students undertake their placements in the third year of their degree, so you’ll want to map out your electives as soon as you can and register for a placement at least 6 months before your preferred start date.
The Professional Placement co-major has four 25 credit point units.
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You'll get paid to work in an area related to your field of study for 6 months, where you'll combine hands-on learning with academic submissions, workplace reflection and feedback from your host organisation. Most students undertake their placements in the third year of their degree, so you’ll want to map out your electives as soon as you can and register for a placement at least 6 months before your preferred start date.
The Professional Placement minor has two 25 credit point units.
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A Professional Internship is all about gaining valuable real-world skills in your area of study all while earning credit points towards your degree. Plus, it looks great on your CV as it shows you’ve had real industry experience before you’ve even graduated!
You might choose to complete your internship part-time over a semester or in a more intensive block during Summer or Winter terms.
Travel overseas, discover other cultures, enrich your professional experience and enhance your CV all while gaining credit towards your course.
- Full-time study: 100 credit points/eight standard units of study per year
- Part-time study: 50 credit points/four standard units of study per year
- One credit point is equivalent to one hour of study per week per semester (including contact hours and private study)
- See the course planner for an example degree structure
Course learning outcomes
Graduates of the Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) will have a broad and coherent body of knowledge about Industrial Design, with depth in the underlying principles and concepts in Industrial Design and its applications in other specialised fields as a basis for independent lifelong learning.
This course aims to develop creative and technological aptitude through a user-centred design program supported by business studies, new and emerging manufacturing and material technologies, professional practice, design psychology, consumer knowledge, applied research, sustainability and design ethics.
On successful completion of the Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours), graduates will be able to:
- analyse, consolidate, synthesise and evaluate design theories and manufacturing principles with a considerable degree of independence
- systematically review and critically evaluate research from a variety of sources to inform their knowledge and conceptual understandings in their chosen area of Industrial Design
- critically analyse information to generate creative solutions that solve complex, self-determined, design problems
- apply tacit knowledge and technical skills to demonstrate a broad understanding of Industrial Design knowledge with depth in product development, digital CAD, manufacturing knowledge and ideation and manual sketching skills
- apply knowledge and cognitive and creative skills to exercise critical thinking and judgement in identifying and solving Industrial Design problems independently and collaboratively
- employ their advanced theoretical and scholarly knowledge to the resolution of diverse design problems
- propose a clear, coherent and independent exposition of knowledge and ideas about Industrial Design to different audiences and stakeholders
- integrate their cognitive and technical skills with principles of sustainability in order to create responsible design solutions
- plan and manage their own time and project work effectively by prioritising competing demands and deadlines.
Course structure
To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours), students must complete 400 credit points comprising of:
- 8 core units of study (100 credit points)
- 8 Industrial Design major units of study (100 credit points)
- Industrial Design Honours Stream (100 credit points), students select one of the following streams for their honours year.
- Stream 1 – Industrial Design Capstone
- Stream 2 – Design Factory Melbourne Projects
- Stream 3 – Design Factory Melbourne Global Projects - 8 units of study comprising of two 25 credit points Professional and Industry Experience* (PIE) units, minor and/or electives (100 credit points)
In the fourth year of the degree, students choose between three elective streams.
Stream 1 is offered in Semester 1 only and provides a highly focussed set of research methods and Capstone units in Industrial Design. Streams 2 and 3 offer the opportunity to participate in either local or global projects with Design Factory Melbourne – a multidisciplinary platform for research and development working with industry clients.
Please note that Stream 2 (for local projects) is offered in Semester 1 only and that Stream 3 (for global projects) is offered in Semester 2 only. Design Factory Melbourne (local projects) consists of 25 out of the 100 credit points students earn in their Honours year, while the Design Factory Melbourne (global projects) comprises 87.5 out of the 100 final year credit points earned. Find out more about local and global projects at Design Factory Melbourne.
This course includes an optional placement component for domestic students. Selection processes apply.
Placement is a program in which students are placed in paid, supervised employment, for 24 or 48 weeks, relevant to their studies as part of their degree. It aims to provide experiential, discipline-specific learning in an authentic, real-world environment.
Through observation, enquiry and practice under the supervision and guidance of professional practitioners and an academic mentor, students will engage in professional experiences and test and critically assess their learning to date. The experience contextualises existing design skills within an understanding of the impact of client, customer, team dynamics and direction in the design process. The placement program is part of the Honours stream. Placement gives students practical experience to add to their academic studies, and is a proven advantage in the graduate job market. All placements are subject to availability of places.
Find out more about work placements. Placement is not available to students holding an international student visa.
For students who enter with exempted credits, a minimum of at least 100 credit points of units in this degree (not including electives and placement units) must be completed to be eligible for an award.
* Professional and Industry Experience is not available to students holding an international student visa.
Honours merit calculation
The honours merit calculation will be based on the averaged results of 100 credits points of specified units from a student's last two years of study:
- Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) with High Distinction for students who achieve greater than or equal to 80
- Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) with Distinction for students who achieve 70 – 79
- Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) with Credit for students who achieve 60 – 69
- Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) for students who achieve less than 60
For students who enter with exempted credits, a minimum of at least 150 credits within the Major is required to be eligible for an award and for an honours merit calculation. At least 75 out of the last 100 credits comply with AQF level 8.
This Honours merit calculation will be based only on units completed at Swinburne. If a student has not completed the specified units, they will graduate with a Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) as an award title, but will not be eligible for a merit based honours description.
The following units will be used in the Honours merit calculation:
Stream 1 - Industrial Design
DID30002 Socially Responsible Design Studio
DPD40004 Professional Design Attributes
DDD40001 Methods for Design Research
DID40001 Capstone: Industrial Design Major Project 1
DID40002 Capstone: Industrial Design Major Project 2
Stream 2 -Design Factory Melbourne Projects
DDD20007 Design Systems and Services
DID30002 Socially Responsible Design Studio
DPD40004 Professional Design Attributes
DDD40001 Methods for Design Research
DDD40007 Industry Engagement and the Problem Solving Space
DDD40012 DFM Toolbox: Innovation and Interdisciplinary Collaboration 1
DDD40013 DFM Practice: Innovation & Interdisciplinary Collaboration 2
Stream 3 - Design Factory Melbourne Global Projects
DDD40004 DFM: Global Innovation & Interdisciplinary Collaboration 2
DDD40005 DFM: Design for Science and Technology 1
DDD40006 DFM: Design for Science and Technology 2
DDD40010 DFM Global Toolbox: Innovation and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
DDD40011 DFM: Global Innovation & Interdisciplinary Collaboration 1
DDD40015 Research Methods for Global Design Innovation
Career opportunities
Our alumni have worked in Breville, Dyson, Nura headphones, Blackmagic creative video technology, Jardan furniture, Katapult Design and more. They’ve created the Handydesk and co-founded companies like Steelotto furniture and Ichpig streetwear.
Among other possibilities, graduates may find jobs undertaking product design for, and within, manufacturing industries or design consultancies, for exhibitions, for environmental and furniture design, or as self-employed designers or manufacturers.
Graduates are also eligible to apply for entry into the Master of Design or a PhD program.
Professional recognition
Graduates are eligible to apply to become members of the Design Institute of Australia.
Scholarships
At Swinburne scholarships are about providing opportunity, promoting equity and recognising excellence and achievement. Scholarships are available for both commencing and current students.
How to enter this course
- Entry requirements, English language requirements, prerequisites and pathways.
How to apply
Find out more about how to apply.
View the Course Admission Information, which includes the ATAR and Student profiles for this course. Swinburne’s general admissions information is also available here.