Tama Art University

Three Policies
Department of Product and Textile Design, Product Design Course

Purposes and Educational Goals (Diploma Policy)

The goal of the Department of Product and Textile Design (Product Design Course) is to develop world-class designers. We believe that thinking only within the framework of a single country is unnatural, and it is necessary to direct future designers toward the world of tomorrow when information connects with the world instantaneously, thus we seek to cultivate their originality and place an emphasis on cultivating the ability to express, look and think in multiple ways, and to develop communication skills. Thus far the Product Design Course has produced many designers who are globally active and lead society as companies’ in-house designers and as independent creators.

In the field of product design, manufacturing is moving toward not only product forms, materials, and colors, but also new products that involve various fields such as the Internet of Things (IoT), in which products around us connect with the Internet. The Product Design Course’s curriculum entails flexible combinations of case studies of practical expression, specialized knowledge and liberal arts, organized so as to cultivate interdisciplinary thought and expression with the mission of supporting the diverse careers that students envision and cultivating distinctive human resources who will lead the future. Specifically, we cultivate the abilities to think, incorporating objective evidence such as research and experiments, to conceive, equipped with knowledge of materials, to lead and to express creative ideas. Students who have sufficiently attained these objectives receive bachelor’s (BFA) degrees.


Curriculum Policy

In the Product Design Course, the curriculum is organized so as to achieve the goals of “cultivating world-class designers.” It is designed to enable students to gradually master hands-on practice and specialized knowledge while combining this expertise with liberal arts training.

Introductory first-year classes consist of a lot of short-term intensive programs to build their experience in handling various materials and techniques. There is a curriculum extending from the introductory first and second year courses through the specialized courses in the third and fourth years, centered on case studies such as industry-government-academia joint research, and students acquire both practical skills and the ability to think creatively. This entails not only producing creative ideas, but also the ability to adopt the perspective of others in thinking through what is needed.

To support the diverse career needs of the students from an educational standpoint, from the second year they are divided into three different studios according to their images of the designers they want to become in the future, and are instruced by multiple teachers. They are supported step by step as they ascend the stairway to “world-class designer” status, by having each individual’s work reviewed continuously and seamlessly until graduation. In “review sessions,” students receive direct feedback from teachers on their works’ strong points and areas in need of improvement, while cultivating means of exploring work, the ability to look and think in multiple ways, and communication skills. The results of study are evaluated based on criteria clearly specified in advance.


Admissions Policy

Product design entails creating various designs related to objects, such as automobiles, motorbikes, robots, sports gear, outdoor gear, toys, stationery products, cosmetics, accessories and so on. In recent years, relationships between people and things have been connected to digital media and space in various ways, and in the field of product design, new interdisciplinary directions in skilled manufacturing have emerged. As a result, the range of career options available to students of the Product Design Course following graduation has also expanded.

The aim of the course is to foster independent, world-class designers. We believe having the power to be active on the international stage will greatly expand students’ future as designers. We seek to broadly and actively recruit students from the world who share this vision and are willing to study with strong will and dedication. There is a lot to learn in four years, but we want students to make full use of the educational environment and curriculum we offer while studying in a self-motivated, self-directed manner.

Evaluations in all Product Design Course admission examinations are based on “basic communication skills” and “creative expression abilities.” On the exam, it is important not only to gauge current expression ability, but also to discover untapped creative potential for the future. We look forward to seeing students’ unfettered, original creativity and self-expression.