The structure of the curriculum includes:
Course Modules Classification & Description
The curriculum includes the following module types:
Preparatory
Foundation modules. Students may be exempt from these according to the results of a placement test administered in the beginning of the semester. For the students who are not exempted, preparatory modules comprise an obligatory requirement for obtaining their Diploma.
Compulsory
Basic modules to be taken by all students as an essential requirement to obtain their Diploma.
Stream Compulsory Modules
Students must take and be successfully examined in 9 Stream Compulsory modules out of which 1 should be “Studio 7 x”, 4 should comprise modules of the same Stream and, out of the remaining 4 modules, students should select 2 from each of the other two Streams.
Optional Modules
In addition to the compulsory modules, students select as many optional modules as they need to complete the required ECTS for their Diploma.
Tutorials
They comprise part of a module, offering, where necessary, extra practice to students. They are not compulsory, nor are they considered in the average Diploma mark calculation.
Core Modules
These modules are common for all three streams, offer foundational background knowledge and comprise an essential prerequisite for a design engineer of products and/or systems. Hence, they are fundamental to the programme. For this reason, they are offered during the first three academic years.
Streams of Study
In the course of their study, students can select one of the following scientific streams to gain more specialised knowledge:
1. Design of Interactive Systems
These streams do not constitute vertical specializations, but rather concern specified scientific backgrounds which further support and empower the scientific profile of the Department, thus offering students a more comprehensive and multifaceted scientific background which covers the whole spectrum of Design.
Each of these streams comprises a number of Stream Compulsory Modules, in conjunction with a number of Elective Modules and a small number of modules from the other two streams of study, so that the students can acquire a more spherical knowledge. (It should be noted that the students’ orientation selection is not recorded in the awarded Diploma.)
Given the structure of the curriculum, our students become aware of the co-existence and inter-relation of all the disciplines involved in Design. For instance, a product like a shoe or a cell phone projected on a computer screen is a result accomplished through the contribution of a range of disciplines such as psychology, marketing, design management, etc. The key concepts that support and expand the main scientific directions of the Department include:
Studio Courses
These courses offer students specialization in applied skills and also familiarise them with the theoretical, methodological and technological tools required in contemporary design of products and systems.
The first set of Studio modules offers students up-to-date knowledge on Drawing, Color and Synthesis. Students are encouraged to employ their creativity to produce original ideas, expressing themselves in aesthetically acceptable ways. These modules aim at familiarizing students with visual perception and aesthetics.
The second set of Studio courses focuses on applied skills in product design.
The third set of Studio courses offers students more specialized applied skills, including detail “product” design, in an effort to approximate the end-user experience. A high degree of familiarisation with all design aspects and skills is required.
Internship
Great importance is placed on the students’ internship scheme. Our Department collaborates on a systematic basis with a network of more than 500 private and public organizations and enterprises which accept our students for internship. Internship period lasts for up to three months in real working conditions.
Internship is a compulsory module, while students are also given the opportunity to take a continuing internship course as an elective module. These modules are offered in the 4th year of studies so that the students can draw on this experience to select modules for the last part of their studies, as well as to decide on a topic for their Diploma thesis.
Our Department is among the first of the E.U. university departments to have adopted an internship scheme. Along with this, it has successfully incorporated the Erasmus Placement internship schemes, covering all the positions allotted by our Institution.
Diploma thesis
Final year students are required to prepare a thesis in order to obtain their Diploma in Design Engineering. The Diploma thesis expresses the culmination of our students’ studies and it aims at offering our students the opportunity to use the interdisciplinary knowledge they have acquired so as to pursue a research project on a general or specific topic and prove their ability to identify a problem, analyse and process its constituent parts towards a satisfactory solution.
Students pursue their thesis during the 10th semester, when normally they do not have to attend any courses. The thesis covers 30 ECTS.
The Thesis Regulation covers all issues related to its preparation, submission and assessment and is complementary to the Department’s Studies Bulletin. The students who are about to submit a thesis topic are strongly advised to carefully consult the Regulation.