Design MDes

The Guardian University Guide 2024 ranks Brunel design graduates top in the UK for earnings after 15 months, while government figures also show Brunel design graduates rank no.1 for graduate earnings in the UK.*

Get a visual overview of this exciting programme by watching our colourful short video.

Design at Brunel is all about realising fantastic ideas in the real world. Our Design degree is focused on developing your commercial awareness, technical skills and ability to innovate, meaning you can develop physical and digital products that both look good and work well. The programme follows the same first three years as BSc Design, with an additional fourth year that raises the qualification to master's level.

There is a lot of project-based learning to test your skills and you’ll see the outcome of your design from concept to making the actual product. This means you’ll be able to build a great portfolio of your best-quality projects, academic and industry briefs, and case studies during your studies.

You’ll have workshop training and will use industry-standard equipment and software to develop quality hands-on skills to become a competent designer. You’ll have access to dedicated design studios, digital sketching, extensive prototyping workshops, and electronics and digital fabrication labs. The practical knowledge you gain is transferable to the industry and provides a head start for your future career as a designer and design thinker in the modern world.

Our design course can be studied 4 years full-time or 5 years full-time with placement, starting in September. The placement year helps you to prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. Our students have worked in both small innovation start-ups and multinational organisations such as Adidas, Chanel, Jaguar Land Rover, Philips, Disney and Lego.

Our students have the opportunity to study abroad. You could spend a term or a year in one of our partner universities via our exchange programme: Politecnico di Milano in Italy; Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, San Francisco State University in USA and Institut Superieur de Design, ISD Bubika in France. New exchange opportunities are being developed with India, Canada and China.

Made in Brunel is a unique, student-led initiative that showcases our design talent at its finest. Each year our students run a series of industry and community events leading up to the Made in Brunel exhibition. This annual showcase is a highlight of the London design calendar and promotes the incredible work our students produce to the creative community, and is a great way for our students to network with design professionals and potential employers.

If you are interested in turning a product or technology idea into a business after you graduate, we are in partnership with the Central Research Laboratory (CRL), a design incubator for start-ups. You’ll have access to meeting rooms and work space as well as prototyping facilities. A team of in-house professionals will guide and support you at each stage and a number of our previous entrepreneurial students have successfully commercialised their products.

The MDes Design programme is fully accredited and recognised by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED), the premier professional body representing engineering and product designers.

* Longitudinal Employment Outcomes (LEO) 2022

GPA 4.0/5

• IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
• Pearson: 59 (59 in all sub scores)
• BrunELT: 58% (min 55% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 77 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

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