Automotive & Transport Design with Placement Year (Swansea College of Art)

Our programme focuses on preparing you for a successful career in the automotive and transport industry with a placement year. We encourage our students to think globally developing the skills needed to design sustainable and environmentally friendly vehicles. You’ll also learn to create designs with real-world applications, taking into account social, legal, and ethical issues.

You will be taught by a team of experienced automotive designers, along with guest lecturers and industry experts. Throughout the course, your projects will ask you to consider the future of transportation on a global scale, and you will learn about the social, environmental, and political challenges we face today. You will also have the chance to undertake a year’s. We also offer opportunities for placements and collaborations with industry partners like McLaren.

You will learn both traditional skills like clay modelling and modern technologies such as computer-aided design (CAD) and Virtual Reality (VR). Studying with us you will also get hands-on experience with computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). We are proud to train graduates who are ready to design the vehicles of the future, whether they are cars, motorcycles, or yachts.

The Independent Professional Placement offers a valuable opportunity to gain real-world experience in the industry. This optional placement year allows students to work with companies and apply their skills in a professional setting, enhancing their practical knowledge and employability.

By the end of the programme, you will be ready to start your career in the automotive and transport industry. You will have the skills and knowledge to create innovative and sustainable designs that meet the needs of the future. Join us and be part of an exciting journey to shape the future of transport design.

Modules

At the core of our Automotive and Transport Design programme is the belief that great design combines creativity, practicality, and sustainability. We are passionate about teaching you how to design cars, trains, yachts, and other vehicles that are both beautiful and functional. Our approach integrates traditional skills, like drawing and clay modelling, with the latest technologies, including CAD and Virtual Reality. We are committed to preparing you for a successful career in the automotive and transport industry, equipping you with the tools to create innovative and environmentally friendly designs. Through our programme, you will develop the knowledge and skills to shape the future of transportation.

Year 1

In the first year, you will learn the basics of automotive and transport design. You will start with traditional skills like drawing and clay modelling. These skills are important for creating your initial designs. You will also begin to use digital tools like computer-aided design (CAD) and Virtual Reality (VR). These technologies help you to bring your ideas to life in new and exciting ways. Throughout the year, you will work on different projects that teach you how to design vehicles that are both beautiful and functional.

Compulsory

• Learning in the Digital Era (20 credits)

• Contemporary Challenges: Making a Difference (20 credits)

• Vehicle Technology (20 credits)

• 3D CAD & Visualisation (20 credits)

• Automotive Design Techniques 1 (20 credits)

• Automotive Design Techniques 2 (20 credits)

Year 2

In the second year, you will build on what you learned in the first year. You will dive deeper into digital modelling and visualisation, using advanced tools. These tools are used by top designers around the world. You will also start to work on more complex projects, including designing vehicles for land, sea, and air. Collaboration is key in this year, and you will work on projects with fellow students.

Compulsory

• Changemakers: Creativity and Value Creation (20 credits)

• Changemakers: Building your Personal Brand for Sustainable Employment (20 credits)

• Advanced Automotive Surfacing (20 credits)

• Advanced Digital Visualisation (20 credits)

• Professional Practice 1 (20 credits)

• Professional Practice 2 (20 credits)

Year 3

The Independent Professional Placement in the Automotive and Transport Design programme offers students a valuable opportunity to gain real-world experience in the industry. This optional placement year allows students to work with companies and apply their skills in a professional setting, enhancing their practical knowledge and employability.

Compulsory

• Independent Professional Placement

Year 4

In the fourth year, you will focus on preparing for your career. With a focus on real-world experience this will be invaluable to you becoming industry ready. You will also work on a major design project, bringing together everything you have learned over the past two years. This project will showcase your skills and creativity, helping you to stand out to future employers. By the end of the programme, you will have a strong portfolio of innovative and sustainable designs, ready to start your career in the automotive and transport industry.

Compulsory

• Independent Project (40 credits)

• Major Project: Design Research (20 credits)

• Individual Major Project (60 credits)

https://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/programme-courses/undergraduate/art-design-and-photography/automotive-and-transport-design

Design project work is assessed on the basis of a portfolio consisting of a series of assignments completed during the year.

The portfolio will include drawings, photographs of models and illustrated written reports. Feedback on student progress is given throughout the year — usually in the form of verbal comments by a team of tutors on the basis of student presentations and review attended by fellow students. Formative assessment is made at the end of each project — usually in the form of a provisional mark, which allows students to respond to feedback before the final submission of the portfolio when the final (or ‘summative’) assessment is made.

Assessments of work in the contextual modules will take the form of practical exercises during the year, reports and essays and time-constrained assessment by means of tests and formal examinations.