Automotive & Transport Design (Swansea College of Art)

Our programme focuses on preparing you for a successful career in the automotive and transport industry. 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 work with a fantastic technical team. 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.

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.

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)

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)

In the third 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)

Assessment is carried out through coursework, both written and practical. There are no exams on this course. Students are formatively assessed throughout a module, summative assessment takes place at the end of a module. A variety of teaching and learning methods are used throughout the course which includes amongst others;

Informal Tutorials

These tutorials are held on a regular basis, across all levels. In Year 1 each student sees and discusses his / her work with a member of staff at each studio session, likewise in Year 2. Third and fourth year students tend to work more independently and sign up for tutorial when she/he feels the need arises. However, as a team, we ensure that every student in Year 3 is seen by at least one member of the academic staff each week. We pride ourselves on the fact that there is the opportunity to see staff as regularly as you may require.

Formal Tutorials

These are held twice a term with at least two members of staff. The work is discussed, practical and conceptual development, future intentions of the student etc. It is an opportunity for any issues/concerns by either party, to be raised. A written account of the tutorial is duplicated, one copy kept by the student the other stored in his / her records file.

Group critiques

These are held on a regular basis, across all levels, with one member of staff. They provide an excellent opportunity for students to share and exchange ideas with their peers in a structured manner in addition to valuable input from staff.

Informal & Formal presentations

The nature of the presentations varies according to the level: in Year 1 informal presentations are introduced halfway through the first semester in order to help students gain confidence in talking about their work to their peers and staff it is also usually part of the assessment at the end of each project. 2nd-year students are expected to give a Formal Presentation as part of their Professional Practice & Group Design Module and at the end of the year as part of their Major project. In Year 3 a Formal Presentation is part of the final assessment at the Degree Show

Exhibiting work

Again the nature of this varies within the context of the projects, the work to be assessed and the stage of the programme – it can range in formality from a public venue to the individual student’s desk space.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS