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The Product Design graduate applies scientific, aesthetic, psychological, and technological principles to satisfy market needs in a multidisciplinary way to generate new innovative and functional products.

This course trains professionals in industrial design, capable of using tools and technologies to design products that satisfy user needs and meet market requirements. Topics such as ergonomics, materials, structures, mechanisms, manufacturing processes, user experience, and technological requirements for industrial design are covered. The Product Design graduate is trained to conceive, design, and build products integrating design, manufacturing, and business criteria.

Mission
To cooperate with society by training creative and innovative professionals with research capacity and critical thinking who solve human needs through the design and creation of products.

Vision
To be a regional reference in the use of product design as a critical factor for innovation and the development of solutions for society.

* Undergraduate tuition/fees:
The Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador in its Article 356, among other principles, establishes that third-level public higher education will be tuition/fees free.  Zero cost education is linked to the academic responsibility of the students.

Number of students admitted per academic year
Number of graduates per academic year
Number of enrolled students per academic year
236 Total active students in the career

We are looking for creative and inventive students who wish to specialize in craft or industrial product design. In this context, to enter this program, an applicant should be imaginative and have:

  • Keen sense of aesthetics
  • Visual representation skills.
  • Handcraft and technological skills.
  • Interest in the technical and manufacturing aspects of products.
  • Interest in the impact of products on users.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES  

Product Design graduates will have the ability to:

  • Generate new products, applying creativity, conceptual thinking, ingenuity and design, in a constant process of development and innovation.

  • Transform the industry with products aimed at domestic consumption and exports, changing the country's productive matrix.

  • To design products that respond to the needs of individuals and communities, improving their quality of life.

  • Promote scientific research and technological development by generating products that apply new knowledge, materials, and processes.

  • Promote socio-environmental responsibility and ethical behavior through products, materials, and manufacturing processes.

 

COMPETENCIES  

  • Competency 1: Communicate effectively orally and in writing with clarity and creativity in diverse contexts and perspectives.

  • Competency 2: Apply learning strategies, managing information and digital content according to learning demands and communication uses.

  • Competency 3: Argue value proposals from art, design, and communication, considering technical, economic, environmental, social, and cultural aspects.

  • Competence 4: Approach sociocultural, artistic, and historical objects of study and their experimentation and research through qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies for knowledge generation and ethical management.

  • Competency 5: Promote ethical responsibilities in professional issues and formulate informed judgments, considering the impact of solutions in social, environmental, economic, and global contexts.

  • Competency 6: Function effectively as a proactive team member or leader, able to respect, understand, and evaluate work across various disciplines to achieve given goals.

  • Competency 7: The ability to communicate effectively with various audiences/diverse professional contexts in English.

  • Competency 8: Have a comprehensive understanding of user needs, including human factors, contextual research, user experience, and usability and ergonomics evaluations for application in product and system design.

  • Competency 9: Develop sketches of visual, functional, and multidimensional representations for communicating concepts and specifications of innovative products, from abstraction to detail.

  • Competency 10: Design products and systems with a grounded understanding of design practices and processes with aesthetic, manufacturing, and marketing criteria.

 

PROFILE OF GRADUATION  

The graduate profile of the program frames the Institutional Learning Results (RAIs) oriented towards the person and Disciplinary (RACs) specific to Product Design, which are developed along the curricular routes of training set up in the program and contextualized in the knowledge of education (BEING, KNOWING and KNOWING HOW TO DO) where its applicability is shown.
In this context, at the end of the course, graduates will be able to:

Institutional Learning Outcomes (IALs)

  1. To understand ethical and professional responsibility through the autonomous and strategic construction of knowledge and the formation of citizens who act in a responsible, committed, fair and accessible manner.  

  2. To have the ability to communicate effectively in oral and written form in Spanish; being able to take part in diverse types of communicative processes, raising the levels of cognitive development to share any information in a socially responsible manner.  

  3. Can communicate in English; as a future professional, he/she must be able to handle English in a properly structured manner.  

  4. Recognize the need and engage in lifelong learning that allows autonomous work to be a tool for learning and unlearning, constructing and deconstructing knowledge.  

  5. To understand contemporary issues, to promote constant updating, interest in socially relevant topics, and to develop the research spirit.  

  6. Can work as part of a multidisciplinary team, where it is possible to take part as a collaborative and cooperative work group member.  

  7. Recognize the need and have the skills to undertake; for which he/she must have the spirit of documentation, initiative, leadership, goals, self-confidence, persistence, commitment, self-improvement, quality, efficiency, persuasion, planning and systematic follow-up that will allow him/her to create his/her own business in the future.  

Disciplinary Learning Outcomes

  1. Comprehensive understanding of user needs, including human factors, contextual research, user experience, and usability and ergonomics evaluations for product and system design applications.

  2. Elaborate sketches visual, functional, and multidimensional representations for communicating concepts and specifications of innovative products, from abstraction to detail.

  3. Design products and systems with a grounded understanding of design practices and processes with aesthetic, manufacturing, and marketing criteria.

Future professionals in Product Design, based on relevance, graduate follow-up, employability studies, and latest trends in the discipline, will be able to work in the following professional fields and their respective roles:

  • Product design industry: industrial designer, interior designer, or furniture designer.
  • Design agencies: user experience (UX) designer, interaction designer.
  • BTL agencies: designer of visual merchandising and advertising stands, designer of spaces for creating brand experiences.
  • Architectural studies: furniture designer and designer of storage systems and decorative elements, designer of playful spaces.
  • Independent (freelance) and/or collaborative entrepreneurship and design: freelance designer and product design consultant.
  • Packaging design: packaging designer, creating visual and functional solutions for consumer products.
  • Jewelry workshops: development of products associated with fashion, trends, and aesthetic use.
  • Technology companies: user experience and interaction designer.
  • New product planning and development: designer of sustainable and eco-friendly products, eco-design specialist
  • Secondary education and high schools: teacher in arts and/or industrial design subjects.
  • Higher education: teachers and researchers in Product Design. 

Occupational Profile

Product designers stand out for their ability to conceive and develop innovative products, making them highly sought after in the industry. They can grow in industrial design firms, design consulting agencies, or independent design projects, developing functional and aesthetically appealing products, helping companies to improve outcomes and user experience.  In addition, they may also develop as members of a multidisciplinary design team or autonomously, doing consulting or freelance work and progressing to positions such as product design manager, design director, or product development manager.

The program is designed to be completed over eight academic semesters, equivalent to 5,760 hours, divided into 720 hours per semester.

  • The student must complete the academic curriculum courses that grant 115 credits.
  • To carry out pre-professional practices and/or internships, which include 240 hours.
  • To make links with society, including 96 hours.

The Capstone Project is a culminating requirement for graduation. These projects provide students with the experience of applying acquired knowledge and skills to the needs of society, with a focus on sustainability.

The IDEAR Fair showcases all Capstone projects, offering students a valuable opportunity to showcase their work and hone soft skills such as communication and teamwork. It is also a space for students to network with potential clients and future employers.

Explore all of the Capstone projects completed by the Bachelor's Degree in Product Design program. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Our students use advanced technology tools such as 3D printing and other equipment to create prototypes, which gives them the opportunity to evaluate the design, make improvements and experiment with different materials to generate innovative and creative solutions.