Top Unis for Design

Hello,

I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.

I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

Reply 1

d4rla

Original post by Danyull3

Hello,
I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.
I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

im doing product design at uni in september, would you mind sharing why you’re not considering loughborough? im probably going to firm it
if you’re looking for prestigious unis id look at uni of leeds or uni of edinburgh, i applied to those aswell as uni of liverpool but liverpools course is more engineering focused

Reply 2

insidedesigner

Original post by Danyull3

Hello,
I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.
I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

Unlike some career paths - in the design field, employers generally don't consider Universities to be ore or less prestigious. Brilliant graduates can come out of colleges that nobody has heard of, or the big/famous Unis that have long-established courses.

Some courses are better than others, of course - but employers choose who to take on based on the quality of portfolio and their personal skills - not where they went to Uni.

Reply 3

Danyull3

Original post by d4rla

Loughborough is too close to home for me and I don't find the town lively enough.

Ahh ok I'll have a look at those, thank you

Reply 4

UWE Official Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Danyull3

Hello,
I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.
I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

Hi @Danyull3,

That's great your considering a career in the design world! We have a Product Design course here at UWE Bristol, which is based on our very own arts campus at Bower Ashton. The course page Product Design - BA(Hons) - UWE Bristol: Courses has lots of great detail about what you'll cover on the course and how the structure works. The careers section also has info about the links we have with future employers which should help with your research in that area.

Attending Open Days is a great way to get a feel for the different university's whilst you are researching. The dates will be on all of the websites you can sign up for. Our next Open Day is the 7th June and then run again in the Autumn.

Good luck with your decision making and if you have any further questions, just let me know 🙂

Thanks,

Courtney

Reply 5

Tingkystill

I have an offer at Loughborough but my grades are now not looking good. Does anyone on this thread know if Lboro will make allowances?

Reply 6

Kingston Zhi En

Official Rep

Original post by Danyull3

Hello,
I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.
I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

Hiya @Danyull3 ,

You may be interested in Kingston University's BA Product & Furniture Design course 🤗 Kingston's boasts one of the best 3D making open access workshops which enables you to explore with a variety of materials (eg. metal, wood, plastics, ceramics ..etc.) I would highly recommend visiting us on an Open Day when you have the chance to get a feel for the campus and speak to current students and tutors. You may also want to check out the instagram page @product_furniture_kingston and the recent KSA Degree Show 😗 Feel free to ask me any questions about life in Kingston.

Zhi En (Kingston Student Rep.)

Reply 7

PS Reviewer

Original post by mainlysadiya

have you considered UCL for architecture?

Why would someone interested in product/industrial design apply to the Bartlett?

Reply 8

Northumbria University UG Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Danyull3

Hello,
I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.
I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

Hello @Danyull3,

It is great to see you are considering Northumbria University as one of your options. Located in the heart of Newcastle and named Modern University of the Year 2025, Northumbria University is a wonderful place to study. Furthermore, Design is ranked fourth in the UK for research power (REF 2021). We offer a BA in Product Design and a BA in Furniture and Product Design. You can view all our design courses here.

Our Open Days are a brilliant way to find out more, as you will have the opportunity to speak to academics and current students, to find out what it’s like to study at Northumbria and explore the campus.
Please do get in touch if you have any questions.

Northumbria Rep.

Reply 9

Falmouth Uni

Official Rep

Original post by Danyull3

Hello,
I am an A-Level student exploring options for University, I am pretty intent on doing design, product design or industrial design. I've had difficulty finding out which universities are the most 'prestigious' (i.e. which uni employers will value the most highly) for [product] design.
I'm considering Uni of Cambridge, UAL, Northumbria, Bristol UWE, Falmouth and anything else (not Loughborough though)

Hi! Thanks for considering us in your shortlist - our product design graduates are smashing it at the moment.

The other responses are right; it tends to be more the *quality* of your portfolio that matters to employers, rather than the university ranking itself when it comes to product design. Being able to show you can use industry CAD programmes, how you approach materials creatively, and showing you think about the whole process (e.g. not 'just' great design, but how you'll market and sell your products) is so important, too.

Sustainable Product Design BA here at Falmouth is pretty unique in that it covers everything above. You have said you'd like somewhere a bit more lively when looking through your other choices, and Falmouth isn't somewhere you'll find mega clubs or raves, but there is a totally unique vibe here. Lots of gigs of weird and wonderful bands (check out The Cornish Bank!), mic nights, restaurants, festivals, art residencies and of course the location on the coast is wild.

Good luck with your choices! Please just get in touch with us if you have any questions - Dr Simon Andrews, the course leader, welcomes questions from future students, too.