BDes - Bachelor of Design

Overview
Entry Requirements, Fees and Dates
Regulations
Schedule
Graduate Profile and Programme Capabilities

The world is changing, almost faster than we can keep up with. While we can’t accurately imagine future realities, we can develop skills that will help us adapt to them.

The BDes uses a combination of case studies and real-world project briefs to enable your experimentation in making and prototyping. You will investigate the potential practical, social, political and environmental impacts of different design outcomes, using both digital and material technologies. Your learning will be supported by research academics and specialists drawn from industries relevant to contemporary design.

You can also study the BDes alongside another discipline as part of a conjoint degree, which means you can take two undergraduate programmes at the same time. You can do a conjoint with Arts, Commerce, Engineering (Honours), or Science.

In your first year of study, you’ll be introduced to design methods, processes and rationale. You will also investigate design as a driver and responder to social needs in both contemporary and historic contexts.

Throughout your degree, you will build a personalised study plan around your Stage II compulsory courses, selecting your electives from four design themes:

Design and Local Community Practices
Design and Global Challenges
Design and Business
Design and Emerging Technologies

You can choose to focus on one or two design themes, or you can mix and match courses to suit your experience and developing interests.

In your final year, you will undertake a capstone design research project, working from the initial discovery phase right through to testing and implementation. This will be supported by a course aimed at advancing your understanding of design research methodologies. You will document your creative process in your project report.

The broad structure of the programme is:

Seven core courses: DESIGN 100, 101, 200, 201, 300, 303, 304 (165 points)
Nine elective courses from your chosen design themes: DESIGN 210-243 (135 points)
One Waipapa Taumata Rau course (15 points)
One General Education course (15 points)
Two additional elective courses from this degree or other bachelors degrees (30 points)

Undergraduate study in Design will prepare you to be proactive in a world of expanding job futures and ways of working. Companies will take advantage of emerging market potentials at an early stage through their comfort with disruptive technologies and the application of varied creative approaches to solve problems and identify opportunities. People who are flexible, adaptable and able to explore more than one way of doing things will be highly sought after for business growth. Recently, many new roles have emerged for designers. It’s an exciting time to enter this rapidly expanding field. As well as being able to launch your own entrepreneurial exploits, you’ll be suited to existing organisations integrating contemporary design into their business practices.

Design strategist
Experience designer
Innovation manager
Interface designer
Product designer
Service designer
Interaction designer
Information designer

Once you become a student at the University, you can get help with planning and developing your career from Career Development and Employability Services.

Key Information for Students

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Year Fees Applicable

Domestic Student Annual Fees

International Student Annual Fees

Fees are set in advance of each calendar year and will be updated on this website. Fees are inclusive of 15% GST, but do not include the Student Services Fee, course books, travel and health insurance, or living costs. Fees will be confirmed upon completion of enrolment into courses. For more information, please see Fees and Money Matters .

*Please note: amounts shown are indicative and estimates only.

Scholarships and awards

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Student loans and allowances

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Cost of living

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This is a limited entry programme: there is a limit on the number of enrolments due to staff or space capacity. For more information, please see the Programme and Course Limitations section of the University Academic and General Statutes and Regulations.

Please note: we will consider late applications if places are still available. International students should start the application process as early as possible to allow sufficient time to apply for a visa.

Semester	Application Closing Date	Semester Start Date	Semester End Date
2025 Semester One	04 December 2024

1 - 1

See important dates for the academic year, including orientation, enrolment, study breaks, exams, and graduation.

The regulations for this degree are to be read in conjunction with all other relevant statutes and regulations including the Academic Statutes and Regulations.

Note: This is a limited entry programme as per the Limitation of Entry Statute 1991 and selection criteria apply. Selection criteria are available from the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries.

1 A student enrolled for this degree must follow a programme of the equivalent of six full-time semesters and pass courses with a total value of 360 points, unless credit is granted under the Admission Regulations and/or the Credit Regulations.

2 Of the 360 points required for this degree, a student must pass:

a (i) at least 315 points as listed in the Bachelor of Design Schedule

including

(ii) 15 points: WTRENG 100

and

b 15 points from courses offered in either the General Education Open Schedule or the General Education Faculty Schedule approved for this degree, and the Academic Integrity course as specified in the Enrolment and Programme Regulations, Academic Integrity, of the University Calendar

and

c up to 30 points from courses available for this degree or other Bachelors degrees at this University.

3 A student who is required to meet the Academic English Language Requirement, as specified in the Enrolment and Programme Regulations, Academic English Language Requirement, of the University Calendar, may substitute an academic English language course approved by the Senate or its representative for 15 points of General Education.

4 a A student is exempted from the requirement to pass courses offered in the General Education Schedules who has:

either

(i) completed an undergraduate degree at a tertiary institution

(ii) been admitted to this degree having completed 240 points or more of degree-level study at another tertiary institution.

b A student who has been exempted from the requirement to pass courses offered in the General Education Schedules must substitute the requirement with courses approved by the Academic Head.

c A student admitted to this degree, who has completed between 120 and 235 points inclusive of degree-level study at another tertiary institution, or who has completed a minimum of 50 points of study towards this degree in one semester at an overseas institution, either through an overseas exchange programme or through prior approval under the Credit Regulations, must pass 15 points from courses offered in the General Education Schedules.

d A student who has been fully or partially exempted from the requirement to pass courses offered in the General Education Schedules is nonetheless required to complete the Academic Integrity course.

5 Special arrangements apply where this degree is taken as a component degree of an approved conjoint combination. The specific requirements and a complete list of the conjoint degrees available are set out in the Conjoint Degrees section of the University Calendar.

6 In exceptional circumstances the Programme Director may approve a variation to a student’s programme of study in accordance with the Enrolment and Programme Regulations.

7 These regulations and/or schedule have been amended with effect from 1 January 2025.

Complete 360 points comprising:

315 to 345 points for Bachelor of Design Schedule, and
15 points from General Education Courses, and
0 to 30 points from UOFAK - University of Auckland including child orgs at levels 100 to 400 Other Courses, and
1 item from Academic Integrity Course