Program Overview

Studio Practice (Product Design) (top-up) at UCA

Course details

Our Studio Practice top-up course in Product Design at UCA Canterbury will give you all the skills you need to progress to postgraduate study in the UK.

Designed for international students, the course is aligned with the final year of BA (Hons) Product Design, so you can progress to a Master's degree in a streamlined way.

You'll get right into the action from the start, undertaking research and practical projects, working on collaborative activities and building your skills, knowledge and confidence.

Please note, the title of this course has been updated for 2025 entry and the course has previously been titled BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Product & Furniture Design).

Key information

• Campus: Canterbury
• Start date(s): September 2025, September 2026
• Duration: 1 year full-time

Course structure

• Launch: For your final Launch Week, you’ll spend the week getting ready for your final year of study, and re-orientating after your first summer break.
• Design 05 – Pitch and Prototype: This unit challenges you to engage with exciting new technologies and to produce compelling digital and physical prototypes through the rapid acquisition and integration of new skills within your workflows.
• Critical Analysis 03: You’ll produce a piece of self-directed research on a subject that is related to the historical, theoretical and critical concerns of your subject discipline.
• Briefs and Positions 03: This unit is about preparing an advanced set of briefing materials to inform and guide your development of a medium-scale design proposal for the Final Major Project.
• Opportunity: Opportunity Week is an intensive week of activity conceived and undertaken in collaboration with external partners.
• Major Project: After defining your own brief during the preceding Briefs and Positions 03 unit, with the support of your tutor, you will develop and complete an expansive project that uses all your skills in design, making, research and project development.

Fees & financial support

• Tuition fees - 2025/26:
  • UK: £9,535
  • EU: £9,535 (see fee discount information)
  • International: £17,500
• UCA scholarships and fee discounts: At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.
• Financial support: There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources.
• Additional course costs: In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

Facilities & equipment

• UCA Canterbury has open plan studio spaces offer a flexible learning environment, used for tutorials and independent working.
• Fully equipped Mac and PC computer labs with software for design and coding.
• Access to a purpose built FabLAB with laser cutters, 3D printers and CNC milling and injection moulding equipment, as well as virtual reality and spatial tracking technology.
• Campus 3D workshop with machines for working in wood, metals, plastics and ceramics.

Entry & portfolio requirements

• UK:
  • 240 credits from a relevant degree (120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5), with a minimum of 55% overall
  • Foundation Degree in a relevant subject
  • Higher National Diploma in a relevant subject
  • Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)
• International and EU:
  • The entry requirements for these courses will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country.
  • Non-UK equivalent qualifications
  • English language requirements: To study at UCA, you'll need to have a certain level of English language skill. And so, to make sure you meet the requirements of your course, we ask for evidence of your English language ability, please check the level of English language required.