Sussex has an international reputation for the quality of its teaching and research. The excellence of the research at Sussex was recognised in the latest national Research Assessment Exercise, which confirmed Sussex as one of the country's leading universities. See Fees and finance for further information. Admissions Days and Open Days enable applicants to see for themselves the opportunities and facilities available at Sussex. How you learn The skills required of product designers in their professional practice are based on technical competence and creativity, but extend well beyond this into financial skills, effective use of management techniques, ability to communicate effectively and the interpersonal qualities needed to work with others in a multidisciplinary and rapidly changing environment.
All students take business and management modules within the degree programme.
Interpersonal skills are developed through teamworking and project management. The core course provides the interdisciplinary knowledge-base that is so essential to designers. This has the dual purpose of providing students with the skills to communicate effectively across the whole spectrum of design whilst also providing the foundation on which a training in a specialist branch of design can be built. Theory without practice is ineffective because there are many nuances, exceptions and subtleties to be learned in specific applications. Conversely practice without guidance can result in frustration and fails to exploit the knowledge developed in successful product design by other professionals and researchers.