Product Design Engineering

Product design engineering sits at the intersection of engineering rigour and creative design thinking, concerned with how useful, desirable, and manufacturable products are conceived, developed, and brought to market. It is a discipline that asks both technical and human questions: how should a product function, and how should it feel to use? What materials and manufacturing processes are appropriate, and how can the design be made sustainable, cost-effective, and producible at scale?

Product design engineers work across industries from consumer electronics, medical devices, and automotive to furniture, sporting equipment, and household goods, combining analytical skill with creative judgment.

At the University of Liverpool, this four-year full-time programme gives you a thorough grounding in both the engineering and design dimensions of the field. You will study materials science, engineering mechanics, manufacturing processes, computer-aided design, electronics, and the principles of human-centred design alongside creative studio practice and design methodology. The four-year structure allows for greater depth and specialisation than a standard three-year degree, and the programme includes a year abroad, which provides the opportunity to study product design engineering in a different academic and industrial context, broadening your perspective and your professional horizons.

Liverpool's engineering faculty has a strong research profile, and students develop both technical capability and the professional judgment needed to lead complex design projects.

Graduates in product design engineering work in product development teams across manufacturing industries, design consultancies, engineering firms, and technology companies. Roles as product designers, design engineers, mechanical engineers, and R&D engineers are common, as are positions in innovation management, industrial design, and manufacturing engineering. Some graduates pursue professional engineering qualifications, while others go on to postgraduate study in product design, engineering, or design management.

The combination of engineering and creative design skills that this degree develops is genuinely distinctive and valued across a wide range of industries.