B.Des. in Integrated Product Design

1. Common Core

Every student at WPU GŌA, irrespective of their major, completes this carefully designed 40-credit University Common Core. It forms the intellectual bedrock of the entire academic ecosystem and develops ten essential graduate attributes. The Common Core equips students with transversal skills that transcend any single discipline. It creates a shared intellectual language across engineers, designers, psychologists, and managers so that graduates can collaborate effectively on complex, real-world problems. It ensures every student graduates with strong critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication fluency, data literacy, and systemic perspective, capabilities that are increasingly valued in leadership roles.

2. Design Domain Foundation & Programme Core

Rigorous grounding in design fundamentals, form and aesthetics, materials and manufacturing processes, user-centred research, ergonomics, digital design tools, prototyping techniques, and design strategy. It progresses logically from Year 1 to Year 3, moving from foundational visual and making skills to advanced product systems thinking and complex project execution. The programme core builds strong disciplinary competence and functional mastery before students move into specialisations. This ensures graduates possess a solid design toolkit that is both conceptually deep and practically applicable.

3. Within-Domain Specialisation

Students select one specialisation track in Year 3 and complete advanced, domain-specific courses that provide significant depth. The specialisation tracks enable students to develop specialised expertise that prepares them for focused professional roles, entrepreneurship, or higher studies in their chosen area.

The three available tracks are:

• Service & Systems Design
• Sustainable Design
• Interaction Design

4. Directed Electives

These advanced elective courses offer students the flexibility to deepen their expertise within the chosen Within-Domain specialisation or to explore closely related topics that align with their academic and professional interests. Examples include Advanced Product Styling, Sustainable Packaging Systems, Craft Futures & Material Narratives, Speculative & Future Design, Design Research Methods (Advanced), Ergonomics for Special Needs, Smart Product Interfaces, and Circular Economy Strategies.

The Directed Electives allow significant customisation, enabling students to tailor their degree according to their specific career aspirations, whether in industrial design, mobility systems, sustainable product development, smart device innovation, service design, or emerging interdisciplinary fields.

5. Cross-Domain Specialisation

In addition to their primary product design specialisation, every student completes one Cross-Domain Specialisation from another academic cluster (Engineering, Design, or Business). Curated options include:

• Computational Thinking & Creative Coding
• Behavioural & Cognitive Psychology
• Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries

Students may also design a custom cross-domain pathway under faculty guidance. This additional pathway is a defining feature of WPU GŌA graduates and a critical requirement for solving complex, real-world problems. It fosters transdisciplinary fluency and inculcates the ability to integrate design insight with computational thinking, human behaviour understanding, or entrepreneurial frameworks, enabling graduates to address societal challenges at the intersection of products, technology, innovation, and business.

6. Capstone / Signature Work

The culminating experience of the programme is a full-semester, 12-credit Capstone Project in Semester 8. Students undertake a substantial, real-world integrative project which may be an industry-sponsored product development assignment, sustainable product-service system, smart connected device, speculative future design concept, or social impact design venture. The Capstone is mentored by a faculty–industry panel and requires students to synthesise knowledge from their Within-Domain specialisation, Cross-Domain specialisation, extensive immersions, Independent Inquiry Period (IIP), and core design foundations into a meaningful, portfolio-ready contribution.

Year 1: Foundational Cognitive and Ethical Grounding

The year begins with foundational immersions that help students transition from academic learning to reflective, human-centred design practice.

• Life Realisation Programme at Life Transformation Centre (LRP at LTC) (5+1 days, Pune & nearby village) develops self-awareness, empathy, ethical grounding, and holistic thinking, core qualities for any designer. Through direct engagement with nature, physical work, and reflective practices, students experience the mind-body connection and human needs they will later address through design.
• Pune Industry Immersion Experience (PIIX) Programme (4 days, Pune industrial belts) provides early exposure to manufacturing ecosystems, materials, production processes, and real-world product development environments.
• International Learning & Engagement for Academic Development (I.L.E.A.D.) Programme (2 weeks, Europe) offers global perspectives on design innovation, sustainable systems, user culture, and contemporary product ecosystems through visits to leading design schools and innovation hubs.

Year 2: Integration of Disciplines and Systems

Students connect core design concepts with society, culture, materials, and community realities.

• Rural Engagement and Community Heritage (R.E.A.C.H.) Programme (5 days, Rural Goa) immerses students in rural life, allowing them to understand user needs, local materials, craft traditions, sustainability challenges, and grassroots innovation through direct observation and engagement.
• Asian Innovation & Industry Immersion (A.I.I.I.) Programme (one week, Asian hubs) exposes students to global trends in product design, smart manufacturing, sustainable materials, and emerging technologies at leading innovation forums and trade shows.
• Social Ownership through Leadership, Innovation, and Development (SOLID) Internship (2 months, National/Regional) places students with NGOs, social enterprises, or development organisations, where they apply design thinking to real social challenges such as affordable products, craft revival, or community systems.

Year 3: Professional Practice and National Networks

Students transition into junior designers through advanced scholarly and industry exposure.

• Residency for Immersive Scholarly Engagement (RISE) Programme (2 weeks, IITs/IIMs/NITs) provides intensive academic immersion at India's premier institutions, deepening exposure to advanced design research, technology integration, and interdisciplinary innovation.
• Industry or Research Internship (3 months) offers extended hands-on experience in design studios, manufacturing units, product development teams, or research labs, allowing students to apply theory, develop professional skills, and build portfolio work in real contexts.

Year 4: Leadership Synthesis and Impact

The final year focuses on synthesis and responsible design leadership.

• Student Active Journey in Administration & Governance (SAJAG) Programme (one week, New Delhi) provides direct exposure to public policy, governance, sustainable systems, and the role of design in shaping inclusive public infrastructure and policy.
• Signature Capstone / Startup Track (6 months) serves as the culminating experience. Students undertake a substantial industry-sponsored product development project, sustainable system design, or design-driven startup initiative, integrating all prior academic and immersion learning into a high-impact, portfolio-ready deliverable.