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3D Designer Maker

BA (Hons)

Top 10

Guardian University League Tables 2019 (#7)

100% Employability

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UCAS code:
W701
Location:
Stoke-on-Trent campus
Study option:
Full-time
Choose another study option
Duration:
3 Years
Start date:
21 September 2020
Starting in 2020?
This course is available in Clearing. Call our Clearing hotline on 0800 590 830 or find out more about Clearing.
School:
Creative Arts and Engineering
Book onto a Virtual Open Day Enquire about this course Apply now

Course changes for 2020/21

We are changing the way we deliver our courses from September 2020 to ensure a great student experience within a COVID-secure environment.

Find out more

Develop your passion for designing and making innovative and contemporary objects using a diverse range of materials, skills & techniques taught with high levels of craftsmanship.

Our BA (Hons) 3D Designer Maker programme will give you the chance to design and make your ideas through a broad range of materials with an exciting emphasis on experimentation in making innovative objects through industrial processes with high levels of craftsmanship, giving you the chance to become a more informed contemporary maker.

If you have a passion for designing and making contemporary interior products, such as furniture and lighting, ceramics and jewellery, this is the course for you.

This course will not only enable you to DESIGN innovative objects but also MAKE your ideas through taught skills gaining high levels in craftsmanship.

The strength of this distinctive course is reflected in the achievements of our former students including:

  • Valentine Clays Award for Excellence 1st 2nd & 3rd Prize second consecutive year running 2019 & 2018
  • 5 Keith Brymer Jones Award’s for ‘Promising Young Designer’ 2019
  • Best Stand Award - New Designers 2018
  • Denby Highly Commended Award – New Designers 2018
  • Potclays Awards for Outstanding Excellence 2019 & 2018
  • Duchess China Award
  • British Ceramics Biennial Show Highlite – One to Watch 2018
  • Winner of the Caroline Gardner placement at the National Student Stationery Design Competition
  • Multiple winners of the Franz Rising Star Project scholarships 2019 & 2018

Learn the essential skills needed to survive in the ‘real world’ by undertaking live, external client-led briefs with the likes of Marks & Spencer Homeware, SCP, Sainsbury’s Home, KMF, Royal Doulton and Wedgwood to prepare you for a career as an independent designer maker or a designer in industry.

You’ll get to experience a breadth of materials and highly crafted skills through our 3D wood, metal and ceramics workshops, before specialising in interior products, jewellery, ceramics or digital craft.

You could also use your skills to set up your own businesses as a designer maker. Many of our self-employed graduates have been featured in nationally recognised magazines such as Crafts, Elle Decoration and Craftsman Magazine. Others have gained employment with The Crafts Council, Marks and Spencer Homeware, Sainsbury’s Home and Wedgwood.

This course enables you to explore ideas through a range of taught craft practice and design processes. There's a strong emphasis on experimentation with materials and contemporary approaches to making innovative objects. There is also an opportunity to gain a substantial work placement with companies such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton not just in the area of ceramics.

Our Award Winning creative team of professional makers and technicians will support you throughout. You'll gain practical knowledge and a repertoire of skills, developing your understanding of the designers’ essential toolkit as well as contemporary techniques and processes which reflect current trends and practices in an ever-changing world of the designer maker. Workshops cover:

  • Wood – traditional wood machines as well as CNC machining
  • Ceramics – industry leading ceramic facilities; throwing, hand building, slip casting, jigger jolly, glaze labs and kiln rooms
  • Plastics and Resin
  • Fine Metal, Heavy Metal & Precision Metal
  • Digital Imaging Skills (to work software packages such as Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator

As well as access to our £1.3 million Smart Zone.

Our 3D Designer Maker degree allows you to specialise in: Ceramics, Interior Products such as Furniture or Lighting, Contemporary Jewellery/Wearables or Digital Craft.

Our BA (Hons) 3D Designer Maker programme will give you the chance to design and make your ideas through a broad range of materials with an exciting emphasis on experimentation in making innovative objects through industrial processes with high levels of craftsmanship, giving you the chance to become a more informed contemporary maker.

If you have a passion for designing and making contemporary interior products, such as furniture and lighting, ceramics and jewellery, this is the course for you.

This course will not only enable you to DESIGN innovative objects but also MAKE your ideas through taught skills gaining high levels in craftsmanship.

The strength of this distinctive course is reflected in the achievements of our former students including:

  • Valentine Clays Award for Excellence 1st 2nd & 3rd Prize second consecutive year running 2019 & 2018
  • 5 Keith Brymer Jones Award’s for ‘Promising Young Designer’ 2019
  • Best Stand Award - New Designers 2018
  • Denby Highly Commended Award – New Designers 2018
  • Potclays Awards for Outstanding Excellence 2019 & 2018
  • Duchess China Award
  • British Ceramics Biennial Show Highlite – One to Watch 2018
  • Winner of the Caroline Gardner placement at the National Student Stationery Design Competition
  • Multiple winners of the Franz Rising Star Project scholarships 2019 & 2018

Learn the essential skills needed to survive in the ‘real world’ by undertaking live, external client-led briefs with the likes of Marks & Spencer Homeware, SCP, Sainsbury’s Home, KMF, Royal Doulton and Wedgwood to prepare you for a career as an independent designer maker or a designer in industry.

You’ll get to experience a breadth of materials and highly crafted skills through our 3D wood, metal and ceramics workshops, before specialising in interior products, jewellery, ceramics or digital craft.

You could also use your skills to set up your own businesses as a designer maker. Many of our self-employed graduates have been featured in nationally recognised magazines such as Crafts, Elle Decoration and Craftsman Magazine. Others have gained employment with The Crafts Council, Marks and Spencer Homeware, Sainsbury’s Home and Wedgwood.

This course enables you to explore ideas through a range of taught craft practice and design processes. There's a strong emphasis on experimentation with materials and contemporary approaches to making innovative objects. There is also an opportunity to gain a substantial work placement with companies such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton not just in the area of ceramics.

Our Award Winning creative team of professional makers and technicians will support you throughout. You'll gain practical knowledge and a repertoire of skills, developing your understanding of the designers’ essential toolkit as well as contemporary techniques and processes which reflect current trends and practices in an ever-changing world of the designer maker. Workshops cover:

  • Wood – traditional wood machines as well as CNC machining
  • Ceramics – industry leading ceramic facilities; throwing, hand building, slip casting, jigger jolly, glaze labs and kiln rooms
  • Plastics and Resin
  • Fine Metal, Heavy Metal & Precision Metal
  • Digital Imaging Skills (to work software packages such as Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator

As well as access to our £1.3 million Smart Zone.

Our 3D Designer Maker degree allows you to specialise in: Ceramics, Interior Products such as Furniture or Lighting, Contemporary Jewellery/Wearables or Digital Craft.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) 3D Designer Maker

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) 3D Designer Maker

Course content

Working in your own dedicated studio area, with access to a broad range of workshop facilities, you will get the chance to experiment with a variety of cross-disciplinary materials as well as digital technologies. You will learn practical techniques and processes through hands-on technical demonstrations, gaining high levels of craftsmanship.

In your first year, you will develop your specialist knowledge across materials in ceramics, wood, metals and plastics. This will enable you to become a more informed contemporary maker and someone who can use specialist skills professionally and effectively, with an emphasis on high class skills in practical making, experimentation and craftsmanship. This course will enable you to create innovative design solutions and develop your ability to contextualise your design practice within a global arena.

In your second year, you will develop your own voice specialising in: Ceramics, Interior Products, Contemporary Jewellery and Fashion Accessories or Digital Craft where you can build independent professional working practices, take on increasing responsibilities for your own creative journey and undertake ‘live’ briefs with companies such as SCP, Sainsbury’s Home, Goldsmiths, Marks and Spencer Home, Portmeirion, Royal Doulton and Wedgwood. There is also an opportunity to gain a substantial work placement.

In your third year, you’ll consolidate your knowledge and skills to produce your final exhibition pieces. Alongside your studio work, you will gain an insight into design futures/ business set-up and branding yourself ready for the world of work.

With your final year projects, you are encouraged to generate innovative objects for the contemporary design arena. This culminates with our annual degree show exhibition (Show and Tell) for academic, public and professional audiences at the end of year. Selected students are also given the opportunity to exhibit work at New Designers in London.

Working in your own dedicated studio area, with access to a broad range of workshop facilities, you will get the chance to experiment with a variety of cross-disciplinary materials as well as digital technologies. You will learn practical techniques and processes through hands-on technical demonstrations, gaining high levels of craftsmanship.

In your first year, you will develop your specialist knowledge across materials in ceramics, wood, metals and plastics. This will enable you to become a more informed contemporary maker and someone who can use specialist skills professionally and effectively, with an emphasis on high class skills in practical making, experimentation and craftsmanship. This course will enable you to create innovative design solutions and develop your ability to contextualise your design practice within a global arena.

In your second year, you will develop your own voice specialising in: Ceramics, Interior Products, Contemporary Jewellery and Fashion Accessories or Digital Craft where you can build independent professional working practices, take on increasing responsibilities for your own creative journey and undertake ‘live’ briefs with companies such as SCP, Sainsbury’s Home, Goldsmiths, Marks and Spencer Home, Portmeirion, Royal Doulton and Wedgwood. There is also an opportunity to gain a substantial work placement.

In your third year, you’ll consolidate your knowledge and skills to produce your final exhibition pieces. Alongside your studio work, you will gain an insight into design futures/ business set-up and branding yourself ready for the world of work.

With your final year projects, you are encouraged to generate innovative objects for the contemporary design arena. This culminates with our annual degree show exhibition (Show and Tell) for academic, public and professional audiences at the end of year. Selected students are also given the opportunity to exhibit work at New Designers in London.

Academic year

The course operates on a modular basis that provides flexibility and choice. Typically the majority of modules are 30 academic credits with a smaller number of 15 credit modules. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity. Full-time students take modules worth 60 credits per semester, with part-time students taking proportionately fewer credits per semester. All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 360 credits for the degree as a whole. Your overall grade for the course and your degree classification are based on the marks obtained for modules taken at levels 5 and 6.  The full-time course has one start point in September.

The course operates on a modular basis that provides flexibility and choice. Typically the majority of modules are 30 academic credits with a smaller number of 15 credit modules. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity. Full-time students take modules worth 60 credits per semester, with part-time students taking proportionately fewer credits per semester. All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 360 credits for the degree as a whole. Your overall grade for the course and your degree classification are based on the marks obtained for modules taken at levels 5 and 6.  The full-time course has one start point in September.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Standard route

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
3D Design- Integrating Theory And Practice 45 credits
Material Enquiry: Form And Surface 15 credits
Material Investigation And Design History 45 credits
Visual Studies 15 credits
Year 2 compulsory modules
Year 2 compulsory modules
Design, Make, Manufacture 45 credits
Designer / Maker In Context 45 credits
Digital Design And Proto-Typing 15 credits
Professional Practice 15 credits
Year 3 compulsory modules
Year 3 compulsory modules
Contextualising Practice 45 credits
Design Futures 15 credits
Research, Analysis And Communication Assignment 15 credits
Synthesis And Resolution 45 credits

Entry requirements

Typical UCAS Offer: 112 points

A levels: BBC, CCC plus B at AS

BTEC: DMM

All applicants are individually assessed via interview with portfolio.

Typical UCAS Offer: 112 points

A levels: BBC, CCC plus B at AS

BTEC: DMM

All applicants are individually assessed via interview with portfolio.

Facilities

Smart Zone

A bustling centre of invention, innovation and creation. The Smart Zone houses dedicated workshop space, the latest in digital technology, and high-end computing facilities.

3D Workshops

Work in Heavy metal, Fine metals, Wood, Plastics and Resin. Our 3D workshops are equipped with everything you'd expect to see in a working studio from lathes to laser cutters and arc welders to etching tanks.

Tradition

We'll also train you in traditional hand-making, machine manufacture and modern digital technology.

Ceramics workshops

Our kiln room, plaster, print and computer workshops is where you'll create functional ceramicware and sculptural forms using the techniques of slipcasting, plastic clay forming, hand throwing and hand building.

Careers

You could gain employment as a designer maker in industry, or set up your own business. A number of our students also go on to our award winning MA Ceramic Design course.

Graduate destinations

  • One of our students won the overall Sainsbury’s Homeware award at New Designers 2018, winning a year-long paid placement.
  • Five of our students won FRANZ Rising Star Scholarships – Autumn 2018
  • Alison Howell has been nominated for Times Higher Education Award 2018
  • Caitlin Wimslow was given the Potclays Award 2018.
  • Faith Shillito won the ‘Best Commercial Design’ 2017 as part of a live brief set by Sheffield knife manufacturer Taylor Eye Witness.
  • Libby Ward was awarded ‘Best Maker’ at the Great Northern Craft Fair, Manchester 2016.
  • Jasmine Simpson was voted one of the ‘Top Ten’ makers to watch by Ceramic Review in 2016.
  • Grace Pepper was given the Potclays Award 2017. She has gone on to gain a position at Portmeirion Pottery within the export department.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

The teaching on this course is firmly rooted in studio practice. You develop your skills across a wide range of project-based activities, which take place within a studio setting appropriate to the subject. Sometimes you will work in whole groups, sometimes you will work in teams, with presentations of your work to your peer group and the academic staff. At other times during your study, you will be working on individual self-initiated projects. During projects, there will be tutorial sessions and critiques with academic staff where you explore your practice in more detail.

In addition, you take part in lecture and seminar activities which allow you to explore the contextual and professional background to the projects you are undertaking. These are led by your lecturers and also guest tutors from industry who bring their specialist insight into the sessions. You also participate in technical demonstration sessions with technicians, enabling you to enhance your making and digital skills across a wide range of techniques and approaches.

The teaching on this course is firmly rooted in studio practice. You develop your skills across a wide range of project-based activities, which take place within a studio setting appropriate to the subject. Sometimes you will work in whole groups, sometimes you will work in teams, with presentations of your work to your peer group and the academic staff. At other times during your study, you will be working on individual self-initiated projects. During projects, there will be tutorial sessions and critiques with academic staff where you explore your practice in more detail.

In addition, you take part in lecture and seminar activities which allow you to explore the contextual and professional background to the projects you are undertaking. These are led by your lecturers and also guest tutors from industry who bring their specialist insight into the sessions. You also participate in technical demonstration sessions with technicians, enabling you to enhance your making and digital skills across a wide range of techniques and approaches.

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills); written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy); academic writing (including how to reference); research skills; critical thinking and understanding arguments; and revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).

Additional support

Our AccessAbility Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

Throughout the modules you take on your course you are provided with formative, developmental assessment opportunities, which are carried out in tutorial and critique situations. Feedback is usually provided to you orally, with a written record kept either by the tutor or by you. This is sometimes produced as the result of peer or self-assessment exercises.

All modules also included formal or “summative” assessment tasks and the grades from the formal assessments count towards your module mark. You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission.

Throughout the modules you take on your course you are provided with formative, developmental assessment opportunities, which are carried out in tutorial and critique situations. Feedback is usually provided to you orally, with a written record kept either by the tutor or by you. This is sometimes produced as the result of peer or self-assessment exercises.

All modules also included formal or “summative” assessment tasks and the grades from the formal assessments count towards your module mark. You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission.

Staff

You will be taught by a team of Award Winning experts whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience, as well as currently practicing designer-makers. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teaching training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is research-informed and 100% of our full-time staff are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

Tim Forrester
Tim ForresterCourse Leader: 3D Designer Maker

Tim Forrester is one of Britain's most innovative designers. He achieved great success during a period spent working in Milan & has now returned to the UK to continue designing & manufacturing his high quality, inspirational and versatile furniture ranges. 

Read full profile

Fees

For the course starting on 21 September 2020 the tuition fees are:

Tuition fees for BA (Hons)-Full-time
Study option UK / EU / Channel Islands International (Non-EU)
Full-time £9,250 per year of study £14,000 per year of study

For the course starting on 14 September 2020 the tuition fees are:

Tuition fees for BA (Hons) Part-time
Study option UK / EU / Channel Islands
Part-time £4,620 per year of study

UK, EU and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

International (Non-EU) students: Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course, as long as you complete it in the normal time-frame (i.e. no repeat years or breaks in study).

Our students

about
Ross Mountford
Student

The course offers a great experience throughout multiple design disciplines, with Lecturers who have worked in industry and run successful design businesses. The course really lets you find your own creativity while supporting you along the way, it didn’t feel like just going to university it just felt like home.

about
Ellina Pollitt
Graduate

It has been an amazing experience with lots of support from exemplary tutors, with an excellent welcome from the first day. The course content has been incredible. The special attention and guidance of our extremely talented tutors has helped boost our confidence and has taken our creativities to a professional level.

about
Emma Westmacott
Graduate

The excellent range of facilities and the dedicated support from tutors and technicians creates a rich learning environment where ideas development and creativity can be fully explored.

Apply

Stoke-on-Trent campus
BA (Hons)
Full-time
21 September 2020
Apply now

Information from Discover Uni

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at Staffordshire University, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of Staffordshire University enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

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08/08/2020 21:03:41 / 3D Designer Maker / Full-time / 42.0 / 37.0 / SSTK-11613 / Direct link

08/08/2020 21:03:41 / 3D Designer Maker / Part-time / 12.0 / 37.0 / SSTK-12518 / Direct link