BH104 - Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours)

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Plan: BH104P15 - Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours)
Campus: City Campus

Overview

Program details
Purpose of the Program
Articulation and pathways
Entrance requirements
External accreditation and industry links
Student expenses and charges in addition to fees
Library, IT and specialist resources

Program details

Award title: Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours)
Award abbreviation: BIndDes(Hons)
Total credit points: 384
Career: UGRD
Duration: 4 years full-time
Location: Onshore, City and Brunswick Campuses
Owning school: Design (370H)
Owning school URL: www.rmit.edu.au/about/schools-colleges/design
ASCED code: 040107
CRICOS code: 080225J

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Purpose of the Program

Industrial Design at RMIT has offered technical, theoretical and industry linked immersions into the diverse and dynamic fields of industrial design practice since the mid 1940s. As one of the longest running industrial design programs in the world the program builds on is history of applied design education to enable you to develop independence in learning; to invent, visualise, prototype and deliver innovative design solutions to complex problems in form of new products and services. You will work on real world problems, in industry and community contexts, with direction and feedback from experts, and within the research domains of the academic faculty.

The program culminates in a capstone experience through the learnings in the courses GRAP2290 Industrial Design Honours Project Part One: Design Research and Development and GRAP1040 Industrial Design Honours Project Part Two: Design Research and Prototyping. In this year-long honours design research project you will independently synthesise and integrate your knowledge of theory and practice and demonstrate your holistic achievement of the program learning outcomes through design. 

The program will qualify you to pursue further study and research, and to undertake professional work as an industrial designer, either independently, or as a member of a design or research and development team in small, medium or large organizational settings. Graduates of the program work in a range of specialist sub-disciplinary domains and enterprises in local and global contexts. As well as working for manufacturing companies, design consultancies and enterprises that design services and experiences, many graduates start their own design and product producing businesses in niche and in emerging fields of design practice. Other graduates find employment in cross-disciplinary design, strategy, and research and development roles within the services, innovation, and cultural sectors.

Within these professional and research contexts you will be able to initiate and manage design problem solving from an entrepreneurial, research-led, analytical, reflective and ethical framework. You will be able to confidently deploy specialised industrial design knowledge and skills with technical effectiveness and creativity.  You will articulate your design thinking through a range of communication techniques and technologies to stakeholders within and across disciplinary boundaries.

The delivery of this program is blended comprising of face-to-face learning supplemented by online learning.

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Articulation and pathways

Successful completion of C5435 Diploma of Product Design guarantees entry into this program with 96 credit points of exemptions (equivalent to 1 year full-time study). 

Successful completion of AD007 Associate Degree in Design (Furniture) guarantees entry into this program with 144 credit points (equivalent to 1.5 years full-time study). 

If you have already developed areas of skill and knowledge included in this program (for example, through prior studies or work experience), you can apply for credit once you have enrolled in this program.

Students wanting to continue with their study are encouraged to apply for Masters by Research or PhD after successful completion of their bachelor program and enabled to do so via the research preparation encountered in the Bachelor Honours program.

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Entrance requirements

You must have successfully completed an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent senior secondary school) qualification.

For equivalents to Australian academic entry requirements, see the Country Equivalency web page on the RMIT website.

Prerequisites 

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) units 3 and 4 – a study score of at least 30 in English (EAL) or at least 25 in any other English.

International English language requirement

A minimum of IELTS (Academic module) overall score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0, or equivalent. For equivalents to English entry requirements, see the English requirements web page.

Selection task

All applicants must complete and submit the selection task.

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External accreditation and industry links

External Accreditation:

In Australia there are no professional bodies that accredit programs in the area of Industrial Design. However, graduates of the Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) are eligible to become members of the following Professional Associations:

Design Institute of Australia (DIA): Students are eligible for student membership and access to DIA member resources throughout their studies. Graduates are eligible for full membership with the DIA, the peak professional body for designers in Australia.[http://www.dia.org.au/]

International Interaction Designers Association(IxDA): Students and Graduates are eligible to be members of the IxDA that aims to promote and advance the profession of interaction design.

Association of Women Industrial Designers (AWID): Current Students and Graduates are eligible for membership with the US based international Association of Women Industrial Designers that seeks to advance the status and contribution of women in the profession.

Additionally there are numerous local and international professional organizations that promote and support industrial designers in various sub-disciplinary and specialist fields including: lighting design, furniture design, design management and service design.

Industry Links:

The program works with industry in a variety of ways: through student engagement with academic and professional staff who are practitioners in the field; through the structure and content of courses that are often linked directly to, or taught by, industry partners, through the program's Industry Advisory Committee, and through assessment and feedback where industry practitioners will be involved in appraising and critiquing your design work.

Typically these engagements occur through the Design Studio, but are common in all courses, and have included partnerships with:

  • multinational automotive companies such as Ford, Toyota, GMA (Holden) and Royal Enfield
  • product and technology, and manufacturing companies and their design departments such as Philips, Jayco and Oates
  • sustainability and cultural development oriented projects with research groups such as the Victorian Eco Innovation Lab, RMIT's Spatial Architecture Information Laboratory, National Ageing Research Institute and Zoos Victoria
  • government agencies and departments and local governments such as the City of Hume and Melbourne City Council
  • not-for-profit, health and community organizations such as CERES, Diabetes Australia (Victoria), Alziemers Victoria, and major public hospitals
  • cultural institutions such as Museum Victoria
  • Industrial Design consultancies and design oriented product making firms both locally and internationally
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Student expenses and charges in addition to fees

Once you are enrolled as a student in this program you will need to allow for expenses other than university tuition fees.  Additional expenses may relate to the purchase of lecture notes, textbooks, stationery, consumables such as printer paper, fees levied by commercial internet service providers for internet access outside of the university campus, and other relevant costs.

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Library, IT and specialist resources

Library resources and services

RMIT Library provides extensive resources, services and study spaces. All RMIT students have access to scholarly resources including course related material, books, e-books, journals and databases.    

Computers and printers are available at every Library. You can access the Internet and Library e-resources. You can also access the RMIT University wireless network in the Library.  

Contact Ask the Library for information on Library resources and services: http://www.rmit.edu.au/library.  Study support is available for assistance with assignment preparation, academic writing, information literacy, referencing, maths and study skills. 

Services available to you as a student at RMIT University

RMIT University provides a wide range of resources and opportunities to assist your learning and wellbeing so
you can achieve your study and career goals.

Services are available face-to-face, and online, assisting with:

  • transition to tertiary study and learning
  • study skills, academic skills including literacy, mathematics and basic sciences if relevant
  • enabling assistance if you have a disability, long-term medical condition or another form of
    disadvantage, which may impact on your learning
  • career development and employment
  • living and wellbeing (including advice on health, housing, and financial matters)
  • opportunities for scholarships, leadership, and study abroad
  • opportunities for participating in arts, sport, recreation, fitness activities as well as student activism and
    university governance.

We also offer a friendly and supportive environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

You can find more information at www.rmit.edu.au/students

Online learning tools and content

You can access online learning tools and content for your program and associated courses at myRMIT www.rmit.edu.au/myrmit

School based resources

Students in the Industrial Design program have access to workshop resources within the School of Design. These workshops provide access to, and technical support in using a wide range of prototyping, fabrication and model making technologies. Additionally, specialised industry standard commercial software and other digital technologies are available for use within university provided computer laboratories, and in some instances to download for use on personal computers.

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