Course details

Summary

Product Design combines creative design, science, engineering and business studies. Product designers plan and develop items for use in homes, businesses and industry. From creating a new lightweight kayak or a phone app to formulating natural cosmetics, studying product design will equip you for a wide range of occupations.

Graduates will be able to develop creative ideas based on their knowledge of related sciences and engineering disciplines, as well as gain the practical business skills needed to commercialise new product ideas. This degree will prepare you for a modern career path in many areas of New Zealand's innovative economy.

Applied Immersive Game Design is one of three majors of the Bachelor of Product Design degree which promotes interdisciplinary innovation.

This subject covers both virtual and augmented reality, where software and hardware are evolving at a massive pace. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in creative and technical design, and business expertise within the gaming industry. Students will also have opportunities to design and develop games that meet end-user needs for entertainment, education, rehabilitation and industrial applications.

By studying Applied Immersive Game Design, you will understand idea generation, game structure and interface design, and gain practical experience in prototyping for a range of platforms, animation software and game engines, with an emphasis on virtual, augmented and mixed reality.

200-level courses

Applied Immersive Game Design students past first year will go on to take courses in areas such as Gaming Mathematics and Statistics, Game Design in Context, Software Engineering and Algorithms.

Qualification structure and duration

The degree is a three-year 360 points qualification with a combination of coursework and design projects:

165 points of Science and Engineering courses

135 points focused on Product Design

60 points of Business or Management courses.

Design projects will involve independent work on open-ended projects, with a mix of individual and team-based activities, under close supervision by academics with experience in product design.

Further study

UC has a wide range of relevant options for postgraduate study, including qualifications in Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Business and Marketing.

Career opportunities

The electronic entertainment and technology sector is one of the biggest earners worldwide, with the gaming industry in particular growing at an exponential rate. Game development companies are continuously looking for well-qualified graduates with advanced technical skills and experience. New Zealand in particular houses more start-up developers per capita than any other country in the world, which benefit from graduates with ‘all-round’ skills, from technical aspects through to marketing and customer support.

Many companies look for graduates with broad skills and a user-centred approach to game and software design, for example in the areas of entertainment, industrial, retail, tourism, education, behavioral intervention, robotics, and medical and rehabilitation.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Recommended preparation

At least 14 credits in Level 2 NCEA science and mathematics are strongly recommended, while those intending to take the Chemical, Natural and Healthcare Product Formulation major should ideally have 14 credits in Level 3 NCEA chemistry (or the IB/CIE equivalent of these).

Credits in related subjects such as digital technologies, technology, or design and visual communication would be an advantage.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.