BA Product Design & Entrepreneurship
A programme that encourages the judicious utilization of Ghana’s rich natural resources in the development of new ideas and products
Product Design & Entrepreneurship Curriculum
Our curriculum provides an overview of what you will study in each semester of the Product Design & Entrepreneurship Programme.
Semester One
BPDE 111 Introduction to Industrial/Product Design (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to introduce students to the subject of Product Design, the definition of product design as well as some of the ways design interacts in the societal and business environment, where the results of this activity permeate every sphere of our lives; in the home and workplace, in schools, factories, offices and shops, in streets and transport systems.
ACDT 112 Safety In Workshop Practices (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to assist students in the proper use and handling of workshop equipment, tools and related equipment or chemicals. Such tools and equipment if not used properly, could inflict damage to an unsuspecting user. It is therefore necessary to adhere to certain safety rules since these tools and equipment may need certain conditions for proper execution or use.
ACDT 113 Technical Drawing (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to explain why Technical Drawing is an effective way of communicating design concepts. It examines industry trends to show why designers, engineers and technologists today have an even greater need to master graphics communication. Students will be introduced to the significance of graphics language and associated tools for the designer and technologist.
ACDT 114 Basic Drawing (3 Credit Hours)
This course introduces students to the basic drawing techniques and it is designed to increase observation skills. The knowledge and understanding gained through drawing from life directly enhances our ability to draw from the imagination. Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of drawing.
ACDT 115 Introduction to African Art & Culture (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to introduce students to the various African cultures, their history, practices and beliefs in so far as these cosmological beliefs have the ability to influence some designs that may be developed by the product designer. The Ghanaian product designer must have a good understanding of the African Societies in order to fully appreciate the true meaning of the art developed by the various African Societies.
ACDT 116 Communication Skills I (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to give students a firm foundation in the ability to use effective communication and study skills for academic work and to be able to show mastery of the spoken language as well as the skills needed in the presentation of information.
ACDT 117 Information Communication Technology (2 Credit Hours)
This course introduces students to the general concept of computing, the classifications, operations and functions of the computing system, while gaining a fair understanding of the use of Microsoft Office software packages. Students will also be introduced to various software aimed at facilitating teaching and learning.
Semester Two
BPDE 121 Idea Development and Design Processes (3 Credit Hours)
This course will introduce students to the design process which involves organising the creative and analytical processes used to satisfy a need or solve a problem. Students will be made aware of the fact that, sketches, drawings, computer models and presentation graphics are all linked to the design and production processes. Idea development techniques such as Synectics and other visual thinking methods developed to stimulate creativity in design will be introduced to students.
BPDE 122 Workshop Practices (3 Credit Hours)
This course will seek to introduce students to a range of tools and equipment used in the making of products.
BPDE 123 Orthographic and Isometric Projections (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to introduce students to the principles of orthographic projection as a parallel projection technique in which the plane of projection is positioned between the observer and the object and is perpendicular to the parallel lines of sight. Students will be shown how the orthographic projection technique can produce either pictorial drawings that show all three dimensions of an object in one view or Multiview outputs that show only two dimensions of an object in a single view.
BPDE 124 Freehand Drawing Techniques (3 Credit Hours)
In this course, students develop effective drawing techniques as a specialised form of visual communication. Quality and expressiveness of line are developed. Life drawing, still life drawing and sketching techniques are utilised, to assist students in creating images of their ideas about two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional forms and spaces.
ACDT 125 Introduction to Computer Aided Design (3 Credit Hours)
This course introduces students to 3D modelling as an innovative approach to the visualisation process and how Computer Aided Design (CAD) is revolutionising industry and promoting the integration of computers into the design process.
ACDT 126 Communication Skills II (3 Credit Hours)
This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to communicate professionally on many levels including writing, speaking, conducting meetings, giving presentations and interpersonal dialogues, and using electronic media.
ACDT 127 Information Communication Technology II (2 Credit Hours)
The course is a continuation of ACDT 117 and focuses on computer, mobile computing, and multimedia design production.
It further expands on the use of key applications such as spreadsheets, databases, presentation, graphics and web design software. Aside from the traditional computer-based technologies such as those related to standard office applications, and specialist applications such as CAD, aspects of digital communication (internal networks) will be introduced. Topics that deal with the way ICT is used and managed in an organisation will be covered: such as, the meaning and value of information, how information is controlled, the limitations of ICT and legal considerations.
Semester Three
BPDE 231 Introduction to Modelling (3 Credit Hours)
This course will introduce students to product design and modelling through the use of
computer modelling, rendering and digital fabrication.
BPDE 232 Product Design Methods (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to introduce students to the new design methods such as open
engineering and crowd-sourcing ideas and how these new methods relate to each other,
to the new problems that they are intended to solve and to the traditional methods they
are intended to replace.
BPDE 233 Perspective Drawing (3 Credit Hours)
This drawing course is designed to give, an opportunity for students to utilise all the
knowledge and experience acquired in their previous art courses, in order to create a
body of work that demonstrates expertise in manual drawing.
BPDE 234 Nature of Materials and Processes (3 Credit Hours)
This course emphasises the materials and processes used in manufacturing. Fundamentals include the properties, structure and nature of materials for manufactured goods, such as ferrous and nonferrous metals and alloys, plastics, wood, composites and ceramics, and the selection of materials for various functions. Such knowledge will help the designer to avoid ill-conceived pieces, devised to look good in the media but with little technical integrity.
BPDE 235 Manufacturing Processes I (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to introduce students to the concept of Modern Manufacturing Technology as an answer to the need to make Products competitive in this era of Globalisation. It further enhances students’ competencies in the acquisition of hands on experience in the Traditional Jobbing Type Workshop Environment.
BPDE 236 Three-Dimensional Design in Computing (3 Credit Hours)
This course provides students with a broad knowledge in 3-dimensional computer-Aided-Design (CAD) and modelling with a focus on design and product-design-specific applications.
ACDT 237 Introduction to Entrepreneurship (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to introduce students to the concept of Entrepreneurship, which is the predominant form of business organisation and is the world’s oldest profession. It further seeks to inculcate into students a zeal and how to identify, organise and start a new business in design and related areas.
Semester Four
BPDE 241 Design for Use (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to explain why a designer’s chance of developing a successful product depends on a good understanding of the sensual or visual quality of a form that disarms or delights the observer. Students will be made aware of the importance of ensuring that good design is people-centered and improves lives on many levels, in order to maintain its value. Students will be provided with the needed information to appreciate the importance of how technology and design go together and the need to integrate user-centered design and the “functional, emotional, and social utilities into the creation of goods and services and strategies which consequently increase economic value”.
BPDE 242 Visual Communication and Package Design (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to provide design-related information on packaging design for the product designer. A course on visual communication and package design principles is relevant to industrial/product designers and addresses product/brand definition and corporate identity through package design.
BPDE 243 Ergonomics and Human Factors Applications (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to introduce students to the importance and essence of Ergonomics which primarily is a way of enhancing the effectiveness of physical objects and enhancing desirable human values of safety and human comfort. The course will have an applied emphasis oriented towards using psychological theory in the “real” world of product design, and basically reducing to designing products better. This course is therefore an attempt to introduce students to a systematic application of relevant information to the design process.
BPDE 244 Contextual Nature of Products (4 Credit Hours)
Cultural subjects which have influence on contemporary industrial design. The
perspective of the course is anthropological as it discusses the context and cultural
relevance of industrial design. By the completion of the course, students will become
familiar with some of the basic theories in Sociology, Anthropology, Design and Cultural Studies, and how these affect product development and design. They will gain an in-depth understanding of products in their varied contexts, that is, local, national, international as well as what this means for human society.
BPDE 245 Objects and Impacts (3 Credit Hours)
This course explores the rules of designing products so they can actually be
manufactured. The main goal of this course is for students to examine the design and
production methods for any object.
BPDE 246 Advanced Computer Application (3 Credit Hours)
This course explores 3-dimensional modelling as it applies to Product Design. The primary objective of this course is for each student to understand the technology used in 3-D modelling, define the most popular types of 3-D modelling software and understand how computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) information is derived from 3-D models.
ACDT 247 New Venture Creation (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to inculcate into students, a zeal and the ability to identify, organise and start a new business in design and related fields. It provides a theoretical and practical understanding of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behaviour within a variety of organisational contexts.
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Semester Five
BPDE 351 Practical Model Making Techniques (3 Credit Hours)
This course investigates further the presentation model and the materials used for such models.
Objectives
By the completion of the course, students will demonstrate proficiency in product model making, sculpting, mould-making, armature building, casting, prop making, set building, and 3D printing.
BPDE 352 Product Interface Design (3 Credit Hours)
This course surveys topics related to the design of products and interfaces spanning a
wide spectrum of products including alarm clocks, cell phones, and dashboards.
Objectives
The goals of the course are to familiarise students with fundamentals of human
factors/ergonomics, increase student awareness of design in everyday experience, and
enhance student skills in design, creativity, and presentation and consequently solve a
series of design challenges individually and in teams.
BPDE 353 Workshop Practice I (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to give students an opportunity to use the machine, tools and
equipment they have been introduced to.
Objectives
The aim is to equip students with high levels of competencies in the use of manufacturing tools and equipment available.
BPDE 354 Design and Development (3 Credit Hours)
This course covers modern tools and methods for product design and development.
Objectives
By the completion of the course, students will learn about the conception and creation of new products and objects, a fundamental understanding of a development-oriented
product design in which teams of industrial design students conceive, design, and
prototype a physical product.
BPDE 355 Seminar (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to help students to focus on the ideas and issues in the field of contemporary Product Design. It addresses concerns of 21st century product designers that are meant to enable students to understand concepts, visual and material culture, and make aesthetic judgments. It also presents a critical examination of the designer’s relationship to areas such as consumerism, mass culture, copyright issues, and effects of technology on product design practices.
ACDT 356 Business Management and Sustainability (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to assist students in understanding the benefits in managing and sustaining a business. This training will help students to take control of their businesses.
Semester Six
BPDE 361 Mass Production Technology (3 Credit Hours)
This course exposes students to be knowledgeable about traditional mass and series
production processes and materials.
Objectives
At the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate a process for comparing
and contrasting different types of common production materials.
BPDE 362 Rendering for Presentation (3 Credit Hours)
This is a studio course in the theory and technique of three-dimensional (3D) modelling and rendering utilising appropriate software. It is designed to further strengthen both the traditional and 3D rendering skills of the student.
BPDE 363 Workshop Practice II (3 Credit Hours)
The Advanced Manufacturing Processes course provides students an excellent overview of the field of advanced manufacturing. The course engages students by means of hands-on activities and compelling studio tutorials that include a comprehensive overview of the manufacturing field, processes and career choices, multi-level activities in career seeking and planning a manufacturing company.
BPDE 364 Design and Sustainability (3 Credit Hours)
This course explores the concept of sustainability and the role of an Industrial/Product
designer in creating more sustainable products (environmentally and socially responsible products).
BPDE 366 Ethical and Legal Issues (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to introduce students to the ethical and legal issues of business in
Ghana. It provides a theoretical and practical understanding of ethical and legal related
issues that affect businesses in Ghana. It also explains the driving forces of new venture
success and the ethical and legitimacy challenges that face entrepreneurs with new
ventures.
ACDT 367 Research Methods (3 Credit Hours)
This course seeks to provide an introduction to research methods and designs relevant to product design practitioners. The course will focus on an introduction to various research designs, including experimental and non-experimental, as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods. In addition, the course will focus on providing a practical understanding of several tools used in Artistic research. The emphasis will be on knowing when to use the various tests, what they measure, and how to interpret results.
Semester Seven
BPDE 472 Industrial Attachment (6 Credit Hours)
The Industrial Attachment programme provides an opportunity for students to gain
practical knowledge and skills in industry or any related established artisanal
manufacturing enterprise. Students are given orientation on industrial rules and
regulations that include human relations, punctuality, oath of secrecy etc. prior to the
commencement of the training.
BPDE 471 Project Report I (9 Credit Hours)
After completion of the Curricular Internship course students will be required to submit or present a report on how the period of attachment has influenced their project work.
Objectives
The aim of this course is to afford the student an opportunity to further develop a
selected project earlier in the third year. The objective is that the knowledge acquired
during the internship course would influence the refinement of the project idea that the
student had before starting the internship.
Semester Eight
BPDE 481 Industrial Attachment Seminars (3 Credit Hours)
The course aims to make students think about their experiences whilst on industrial
attachment in terms of appropriate and inappropriate conducts and actions. It also
creates opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learnt whilst on industrial attachment and what they still need to learn.
BPDE 482 Studio Research in Product Design (6 Credit Hours)
This is a studio-based course designed to assist students to focus on the real world
demands of the product design industry. An important element of the course is
work-based learning that seeks to link up classroom activities with a real world of work
experiences gained through the Industrial Attachment Programme (IAP). At this level
students will also be tasked to align their research towards Technology Transfer modules in order to create useful products that will be needed to solve problems in our society.
BPDE 483 Exhibition Design (3 Credit Hours)
Students undertake preliminary exercises in display and exhibition design prior to the
development and implementation of an exhibition. Students gain the experience of
working for a real client with specific criteria regarding content, budget and time
constraints.
BPDE 485 Project Report II (3 Credit Hours)
This course is a continuation of the project started in BPD 471.
Objectives
The objective is that students would have the needed time to complete their projects
since they would by now have had an understanding and application of some basic
concepts of research and its methodologies.
ACDT 486 Accounting and Finance for Entrepreneurs (3 Credit Hours)
This course is designed to deepen knowledge about all the components of the balance
sheet, using a double entry book keeping method.
Objectives
At the end of the course, students should be able to analyse a company’s financial statement and come to a reasoned conclusion about the financial situation of a company.
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