The Graduate Diploma in Design provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the changing contexts in which they are designing as they develop the professional skills required to respond to contemporary issues in their chosen design specialization.
The program is a one-year full-time or part-time equivalent program comprising professional studies in the chosen specialization. The program develops competence in core course streams and through discipline specific specializations provides focused streams of study.
The focus of the program is the Design Research Studio courses which allow students to undertake design studies via individual and interdisciplinary projects, internal consultancies and external projects. The program is suitable for anyone with a foundation in design obtained through tertiary studies, and as professional development for the already practicing designer who wishes to further explore design studies.
Aim
The Graduate Diploma in Design (Industrial Design) qualifies individuals who apply a body of knowledge and skills in creative industrial design, undertaking highly skilled work and complex industrial design projects, and as a pathway for further learning.
Content and structure
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Design (Industrial Design) will have advanced knowledge within a systematic and coherent body of product design to further develop innovation and development of physical products, systems, interfaces and environments for cultural and economic exchange in industrial design. Graduates will also have knowledge of existing and emerging materials and processing technologies for high and low volume manufacturing and the ability to integrate this knowledge in complex industrial design problems, and high level technical skills for digital prototyping for the simulation, development and communication of three-dimensional design. Graduates will have cognitive skills to review and analyse research in human factors, technology, market and consumer preferences and cultural factors for the development and refinement of product design for different users, contexts and cultural situations. The students will complete 36 units of study comprising 18 units of design research studio, 4.5 units of internship, 4.5 units of research methods, and 9 units of electives.
Related design disciplines include: industrial design, product innovation, product design, furniture design.