Industrial Design Major - Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa

Industrial design is an exciting and rapidly evolving profession. AUT industrial and product design graduates are award-winning and well-prepared for a changing future. Join us, and gain practical skills and industry connections.

Industrial design at AUT focuses on good design for a better world. Products we design can be tangible, three-dimensional manufactured objects like consumer products, furniture, packaging,  medical and sports equipment, or they can be systems, services and interfaces, always with innovation as a main driver.

At AUT, you work in open plan design studios and have access to world-class technologies, facilities and workshops.

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This is part of the Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa.

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The Industrial Design major is future focused, and throughout your studies you'll work with industry in creative ways to solve real-life problems through good design for a range of industrial design projects.

Year 1

You'll be introduced to industrial design practice, design processes and design thinking. Your design studio projects will be hands-on and collaborative, and you'll develop fundamental design skills, theories and processes.

You'll spend time in our workshops making things and be introduced to key drawing and communication skills.

Semester 1 courses

Semester 2 courses

Year 2

You'll undertake more sophisticated creative projects and deepen your knowledge of industrial and product design practice. This includes working with industry-standard digital modelling software, and building an understanding of industrial manufacturing technologies.

Semester 1 courses

Semester 2 courses

Year 3

We'll help you work through your own design project from initial ideation, through research and development, to prototyping and exhibition. You'll focus on human-centred design and position your work in terms of existing theory and practice.

The year ends in a public exhibition where you can show your work to the public.

Semester 1 courses

Semester 2 course

*Two 15-point courses or one 30-point course.

Industrial design projects

You work more independently on product design projects, in partnership with industry partners like:

  • Macpac
  • Citta Design
  • Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
  • Auckland District Health Board
  • Auckland Council
  • Zespri

Ready to enrol in your courses?

Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for more info on a specific course use our course search.

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Build your degree

Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.

Build your degreeBuild your degreehttps://www.aut.ac.nz/courses/bachelor-of-design-te-tohu-paetahi-mo-te-hoahoa/industrial-design-major

Career opportunities if you study industrial design

  • Product and industrial designer
  • Furniture or packaging designer
  • Ergonomic medical equipment, sport or performance wear designer
  • Service and experience designer
Industrial-Product-Design.jpg

Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.

Industrial Product Design Careers

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Giulia Harper 2023 (Best Awards Gold Award winner) “Cubby” (Year 2)
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Imogen McIntyre 2023 (Best Awards Gold Award winner) “Hugg – sensory hat” (Year 3)
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Jackson Moore 2023 (Best Awards Gold Award winner) “Motion” (Year 3)
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Tui Meki 2021 (Best Awards Gold Award winner) “Talanoa” (Year 3)
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Hollie Riddell 2021 (Best Awards Bronze Award winner) “ NEX.Pro -Neck extension protective” (Year 3)
Key features
  • Real-life projects alongside our industry partners
  • Dynamic and collaborative learning environment
  • World-class facilities including 3D labs and rapid prototyping laboratory
  • Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
See yourself as
  • An idea generator
  • Environmentally conscious
  • A design thinker
  • A practical problem-solver
Vajk Peter
Tui Meki
Hollie Riddell
Avalon Martin
Courteney Eccles

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.