Bachelor of Technology (product development)

Natalie Russell relaxes in a chair designed by Ross Didier.

THE QUALIFICATION
Bachelor of Technology (product development)
Massey University Institute of Technology and Engineering
Phone: 0800 627 739
Email: Massey University
Web: www.massey.ac.nz
Cost: Ranges $4,000 to $4,500 a year (depending on paper choices), plus text books.
Starting salary: Around $40,000

The first graduates from Massey University's Bachelor of Technology product development major entered the workforce last year.

These graduates seek work as product development engineers capable of translating new ideas into marketable consumer products. The four year full time course develops industrial design and engineering knowledge through combining skills of marketing with design, engineering, technological innovation and project management.

Industry experience is a compulsory part of the degree with 300 hours required at the end of the first three years.

Students are introduced in the first year to the science based subjects and principles of product innovation that underpin product development.

By the third year, students are integrating design, technology and marketing in design studios. The properties of advanced materials and product technologies are investigated and then applied in regular project work.

In their final year students must develop a real product within a professional and industrial environment. A number of patentable and commercially successful projects are expected to be launched from this part of the programme. Graduate designs created last year included a soccer stimulation kit, a solar heated commercial egg incubator, an expanding table and children's version of a classic AC Cobra car. Fourth year students also have the opportunity to enter an international exchange programme with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore or the National Institute of Design in India.

Applicants need NCEA UE or the equivalent with good physics and math grades. Applications should be in by December although late applications will be considered if places are available. The degree runs through Massey's Albany and Palmerston North campuses.

Graduates enter engineering or technician roles in manufacturing companies, service companies, management and design consultancies working on products as diverse as cosmetics and clothing to marine and agricultural goods.

THE GRADUATE
Natalie Russell
Fonterra graduate technical programme

I graduated November last year. I was keen to work at Fonterra because I wanted to work with fast moving consumer items and liked the sound of the further training being offered by Fonterra.

I chose to do product development because I wanted a design degree with a technical and engineering focus that wasn't purely artistic.

I think it has given me a great background in business knowledge and the technical side of product development which is giving me confidence in project work at Fonterra.

In second and third year we did small project development projects before doing a big fourth year project and that taught me a lot about managing projects and about managing myself.

We had to do 900 hours of practical work over three summers. I worked at Lion Breweries one summer in packaging development and that is when I became interested in working with consumer goods. Packaging is the area I'm keen to get into at Fonterra once I finish the graduate programme.

I also worked for a kayak and canoe company engineering workshop and for an electricity line supply company.

A highlight during the degree was having the expanding table I developed in my fourth year selected to go to the Milan Furniture Fair, along with a couple of other pieces of Massey students' furniture. It was really neat to see how it worked out and looked in context of the wider world.

EMPLOYER
Bryce Bartley
Fonterra industry training manager

We look for people with ability and with training in technical areas. What Natalie did at Massey really excited her and she was able to present herself as a highly capable person and very positive about what she could do in her future career which really appealed to us at Fonterra.

Product development is important to us, particularly in our specialty product areas and brands, so it is useful to have graduates with knowledge of product development skills.

Milk is a complex area and we don't expect a university graduate to specialise in the particular attributes of milk and the products coming from it.

But we want graduates such as Natalie who have studied in related areas and who we believe will make a difference to Fonterra. We put our graduates in a year of general training so they hit the floor running in second year.