Digital Design and Fabrication

A brand new short course for developing your skill set with digital design and fabrication technologies

Practice innovative digital fabrication techniques and hone your digital design skills on this dynamic Digital Design and Fabrication short course. This hands-on programme will encourage you to develop a mindset for working with hardware and materials to turn your creative ideas into tangible realities.

While advancing your digital design skills using the latest technology in CAD modelling (both 2D and 3D), you’ll be given access to industry-standard equipment in our Digital Fabrication Laboratory, including 3D printing, laser-cutting and CNC milling, so that you can see your ideas taking shape.

As part of your learning, you’ll be shown how to develop modelling approaches, consideration of materials and production processes, and specific production workflows such as 3D printing. You’ll learn how to understand and produce design-to-fabrication documentation through drawings and visualisations, as well as to deliver a complete idea-to-production process.

You’ll be taught by leading experts in this field as part of a fully immersive experience allowing you to access on-campus facilities and install the latest software on your devices so you can continue to build on your skills from home.

Course details

Start dates

19 June 2023

Duration

2 weeks (full-time) or
10 weeks blended (2 weeks full-time, 8 weeks' independent study with access to facilities)

Location

University of Plymouth City Centre Campus

How to apply

Join this programme by completing our online application form.

Two-week bootcamp

Boost your skill set with this unique ‘bootcamp’ two-week version of the course.

You will be based in the University’s Digital Fabrication Laboratory for two weeks, giving you full access to cutting-edge facilities. You’ll receive a hands-on introduction to rapid prototyping, integrating engineering, design, computer science, and art. You’ll learn to safely use software and hardware to fabricate ideas into reality using laser cutters, 3D printers and computer-controlled milling.

This short practical course will be useful in developing your knowledge and understanding of digital fabrication for both personal interest and professional development. It is not formally assessed, and you will not have to complete coursework or exams. However, if you attend and meet the requirements, you will receive a ‘digital badge’ on completion.

Course fee: £1,000

<p>3D printer in a digital fabrication lab</p>

10-week course

Level 4: 40 credit module

Enhance your digital design software and fabrication skills on your own project via an accredited, 40-credit Level 4 course which will see you join our community for 10 weeks. You’ll be shown how to safely use leading-edge software and pioneering hardware to fabricate concepts into reality. You’ll cover topics including laser cutting, 3D printing, 3D modelling and CNC milling.

This programme will culminate in you developing your own project supported by academic and technical staff. Experienced technicians will be available to facilitate, assist and explain processes for the production of digital fabrication projects.

You will have access to our facilities for your independent work, and workspace areas will be available to you throughout the course whether you are looking for inspiration, experimenting with ideas, creating CAD models, developing prototypes or manufacturing final outcomes.

This is a credit bearing course which has a formal assessment to complete. Completing the assessment satisfactorily will mean that you will be awarded 40 credits of formal study at university level. Because any credit you achieve is linked to a nationally recognised system of university credits, this will help to demonstrate your ability and knowledge in a framework that can be transferred.

Degrees operate on a modular system of credits and you may put these credits towards a degree in the future if you wish to continue your studies.

Course fees are £3,080 and all applicants will be eligible to apply for a Higher Education Short Course Loan from the Student Loans Company.

You could also qualify for a non-repayable bursary grant to help with study-related costs. Anyone applying for a loan for one of these short courses who also faces financial barriers to their learning could be eligible for the bursary, which would cover the cost of learning materials such as books, childcare fees and learning support for disabled students.

Entry requirements

Although no fabrication expertise is required, the open-ended nature of the course would make it highly valuable for students with any amount of prior experience. We are happy to take applications from those individuals with relevant industry experience. We will also consider those employed or those planning to enter the workforce in areas related to:

digital design and fabrication
art and animation
manufacturing
industrial and product design
craft and making
architecture
digital media
mechanical engineering
digital entrepreneurship
e-health

Have a question?

For questions regarding the application or enrolment process, email the Arts, Humanities and Business Administration team at shortcoursesarts@plymouth.ac.uk

For questions regarding course content or attendance options, please contact a member of the course team, below.