At Melbourne, the future is yours to create
Study the Bachelor of Design and apply creativity and problem-solving skills to transform the world around you.
The Bachelor of Design opens doors to careers with impact
Bring your boldest ideas to life
You'll have access to industry-grade equipment and technology in purpose-built labs and spaces to enable you to think like a designer and develop your projects end-to-end.
Work with real game changers
You'll be taught by researchers and industry practitioners who are leading public conversations about our cities and regions, shaping policy development and transforming Australian and global practices.
Help solve tomorrow's problems
Design is about communicating our ideas and how we interact with our surroundings. By developing the flexible, cross-disciplinary skills employers are increasingly seeking, you'll play a key role in influencing how societies live, communicate and interact.
Be connected to industry
You'll learn and collaborate in studio-based workspaces to fulfil design briefs and build vital industry connections. Through site visits, field trips, and projects you'll develop your visual communication and technology skills, culminating in a public exhibition showcase, designX.
Welcome to the Bachelor of Design
Join the Director of the Bachelor of Design, Professor Hélène Frichot, as she gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Melbourne's Bachelor of Design course while taking us on a tour of the purpose-built Glyn Davis building.
Build a degree around your interests and strengths
Through the Melbourne curriculum, you'll be able to explore your unique passions all while gaining the expertise and experience to set you apart. With 12 majors ranging across the built environment, design, engineering and IT, plus minors, specialisations and breadth subjects, you’ll have the freedom to structure your degree your way and prepare for the future, whatever you choose to do.
Your major will identify your pathway through the Bachelor of Design to focus on a specific discipline. Importantly, you won’t need to know which major you want to do from day one; in most cases, you can try a few different study areas in your first year before deciding on your major in second year. This flexible approach allows you to keep your options open while you decide the right path for you.
Explore each major in the section below, or the course in detail to discover more.
Minors are shortened sequences of subjects and provide a complementary course of study without committing to a double major. Minors are available in every Bachelor of Design major area except for Civil Engineering Systems and Mechanical Engineering Systems.
Specialisations focus on particular themes relevant across multiple majors within the Bachelor of Design. Some specialisations support a research pathway, some lead to accreditation with industry bodies or expand your employment opportunities, and others open up new areas of interest to explore through graduate study or in your career.
A breadth subject is a subject from outside your major or specialisation that you’re able to incorporate into your degree. You’ll explore diverse fields of interest while being challenged and inspired to unlock new ways of thinking that can enrich your degree and your career prospects. You might, for instance, decide to take breadth in Mandarin Chinese – a great choice for a designer looking to work internationally and help address global issues.
Explore the 12 majors
Civil Engineering Systems
Computing and Software Systems
Construction
Digital Infrastructure Engineering Systems
Graphic Design
Landscape Architecture
Mechanical Engineering Systems
Performance Design
Property
Urban Planning
User Experience Design
Hear from our students
Learn what has inspired some of our next-generation designers.
I wanted to bring together my passion for art and design and integrate how they are seen in our environment. I’ve been able to learn and produce more complex and interesting designs with practical experience.
Isabel Solin
At its core, design is communication. The Bachelor of Design allows me to explore and test different design fields which has helped me create a strong and diverse skillset and knowledge to elevate my design ideas.
Teariki Williams
Graduate study pathways
Hone your professional skills and stand out in your discipline. Following the Bachelor of Design, you may choose to specialise your skills with a graduate degree.
The Melbourne School of Design offers graduate programs across a wide range of built environment fields, from architecture to construction management. You may also choose to apply your design skills to engineering or the arts.