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.

Chemical, Natural and Healthcare Product Formulation is one of three majors of the Bachelor of Product Design degree which promotes interdisciplinary innovation. The purpose of this major is to produce graduates with knowledge and skills in creative design, science, engineering and business studies.

Chemical, biological, pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical and personal care products need to be crafted in a sustainable way, using active ingredients that enable their practical use. For example, to create a moisturizing skin lotion that would be an attractive product for the consumer, it would need to contain moistening properties and other elements to create suitable viscosity, skin feel and fragrance, and contain antimicrobial agents to enhance shelf life.

This subject combined with subjects such as Biochemistry will help you learn to develop natural products. It will allow you to explore innovative ways to better formulate these products, and to analyse existing products and suggest improvements. You will understand the design lifecycle – from idea generation to commercialism.

At all levels, students will undertake significant hands-on projects, working in teams and individually, to design, formulate and test physical product prototypes in our dedicated formulation laboratory to the level needed to pitch a new product concept to a client or investor.

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

Graduates will develop key skills needed to design personal care and household products and commercialize their ideas. Skills include understanding of the total product design process, practical experience in product formulation prototyping, methods of analysis, commercial production, testing, and process economics.

A degree in Product Design will prepare you for an exciting career path in many areas of New Zealand’s innovative economies. Graduates with this scientific background could pursue opportunities that lead to a career in the food, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Possible jobs are formulation scientist, quality manager, chemist, and laboratory technician, product/marketing manager, marketing analyst, portfolio analyst, business development manager, entrepreneur and CEO.

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 commercialize new product ideas. Some qualified product designers have chosen to start their own businesses for new product lines that they developed during their studies.

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.