Bachelor of Science in Invention and Product Engineering
Africa consumes physical products designed elsewhere and assembled elsewhere, and the reason is not an absence of ideas. It is the absence of people who can carry an idea across the distance between a sketch and a manufacturable specificati...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Product engineer
- hardware development engineer
- prototyping and fabrication engineer
- design for manufacture engineer
- product development lead
- technical founder of a hardware venture
- research and development engineer
- manufacturing engineer.
Employer types
- Hardware and electronics manufacturers
- appliance, agricultural equipment and medical device firms
- contract manufacturers and fabrication businesses
- research and development functions in engineering companies
- innovation hubs and design consultancies
- and student founded hardware ventures.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A currently thin but rapidly forming domestic hardware sector, with a strong founder route and with international remote demand for firmware and product engineering skills.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Invention and Product Engineering. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 110 | Invention Studio I: From Problem to First Prototype Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 111 | Engineering Mathematics I Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| BIV 112 | Electronics Fundamentals and Bench Practice Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 113 | Technical Drawing, CAD and Fabrication Workshop Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 130 | Invention Studio II: Functional Prototype Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 131 | Engineering Mathematics II Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| BIV 132 | Materials, Mechanisms and Mechanical Design Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 133 | Programming and Embedded Firmware I Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 210 | Embedded Systems, Sensors and Power Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 211 | Design for Manufacture, Assembly and Cost Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 212 | Product Requirements, Specification and User Research Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| BIV 213 | Programming and Embedded Firmware II Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| BIV 230 | Invention Studio III: Field Tested Product Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| BIV 231 | Intellectual Property and Invention Disclosure Both | 2 | 1-0-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 310 | Intelligent Capability in Physical Products Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 311 | Product Testing, Reliability and Safety Compliance Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 312 | Manufacturing Processes and Small Batch Production Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| BIV 313 | Industrial Design and Product Aesthetics Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| BIV 330 | Industry or Venture Placement Performance | 6 | 0-0-0 |
| BIV 331 | Costing, Pricing and Product Economics Both | 2 | 1-0-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| BIV 410 | Advanced Product Development Studio Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 411 | Supply Chain, Sourcing and Component Selection Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 412 | Certification, Standards and Regulatory Routes to Market Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 413 | Specialisation Elective I Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| BIV 430 | Invention Capstone: Production Ready Product with Verified Users Performance | 9 | 0-2-16 |
| BIV 431 | Venture Formation, Financing and Route to Market Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 432 | Quality Systems and Production Ramp Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| BIV 433 | Professional Practice, Safety and Product Liability Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
Total credit units: 181
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Invention and Product Engineering
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 23 CU
Cumulative
23
Programme total
176
23 CU of 176 CU completed by the end of this step (13%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Technical Production and Craft · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Take a product concept from requirements through prototype to production ready specification.
- PLO 2Design, build and debug electronic and embedded systems for a product.
- PLO 3Design mechanical parts and assemblies and select materials and processes appropriately.
- PLO 4Apply design for manufacture, assembly, cost and serviceability.
- PLO 5Test products against safety, environmental and performance requirements and iterate.
- PLO 6Embed intelligent capability into a physical product where it earns its cost.
- PLO 7Cost a product, plan a first production run and identify a manufacturing route.
- PLO 8Protect and disclose an invention appropriately.
Why this programme exists
Africa consumes physical products designed elsewhere and assembled elsewhere, and the reason is not an absence of ideas. It is the absence of people who can carry an idea across the distance between a sketch and a manufacturable specificati...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes including Physics or Mathematics, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics, Physics and English. A practical aptitude or portfolio assessment is conducted at admission and is used for cohort composition rather than exclusion. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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