Design Electives
2025
The electives are grouped into four key themes, and you can choose to mix and match the electives to suit your experience and developing interests:
- Design and Local Community Practices (210 - 213)
- Design and Business (220 - 223)
- Design and Global Challenges (230 - 233)
- Design and Emerging Technologies (240 - 243)
The Digital Course Outlines contain detailed information about each elective course, including the topic description, learning outcomes, assessment methods, and staff teaching it.
It is very strongly recommended that you review the Digital Course Outlines so that you can make an informed decision about those you choose to enrol into for your degree.
Enrolment Guidance
Bachelor of Design students: complete a total of 135 points (9 courses) of Design electives as part of your degree requirements. These are taken across your study, and you can view a sample degree structure on the BDes programme page.
Note: You will need to take two additional elective courses (30 points), which can be from the Design electives, or courses from other bachelors degrees.
Bachelor of Design conjoint students: complete a total of 90 points (6 courses) of Design electives. You can take the electives across your conjoint degree, and placement will depend on the course requirements and structure of the programme on the other side of your conjoint. You should use My Programme Requirements and conjoint degree planning information for guidance.
Below are the Design electives being offered this year:
Semester One
- DESIGN 211: Aotearoa New Zealand Narratives
- DESIGN 213: Food Design
- DESIGN 220: Design Innovation
- DESIGN 233: Design for the Natural Environment
- DESIGN 240: Designing with Data
- DESIGN 242: Design and Autonomous Technology
Semester Two
- DESIGN 212: Local Making
- DESIGN 221: Professional Design Practice
- DESIGN 223: Game Design
- DESIGN 224: Special Topic: Visual Communication
- DESIGN 230: Design, Wellbeing and Communities
- DESIGN 231: The Future of Work and Play
- DESIGN 232: Smart Homes and Cities
- DESIGN 241: Designing Mixed Realities
- DESIGN 243: Design and Assistive Technologies