PROD131-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025

Introduction to Formulation Science

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 28 September 2025

Description

This course introduces the key aesthetic and functional requirements and the principles underlying the creation of formulated products across a wide range of applications. Practical laboratories will focus on making and analysing a range of formulated products. Examples include pharmaceuticals, adhesives, paints, industrial coatings, fuels, cosmetics and personal care products, food and nutritional products, detergents and cleaning products, and agricultural products such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Lectures will cover principles of interfacial science affecting the creation and stability of emulsions, suspensions and solid formulations such as tablets and powders. Interactions of formulated products with physical systems will be described, including the mechanisms involved in their adsorption, absorption, metabolism, excretion and distribution within biological, non-biological and environmental systems.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of the course, you will be able to:
  • describe a wide variety of formulation applications and their key sensory and/or functional attributes and relate these to critical principles of formulation science
  • describe the physicochemical mechanisms behind the formation and stability of emulsions, suspensions and solid mixtures
  • carry out calculations relating to surfaces and interfacial science, solubility, diffusion and rheology in formulated products
  • define technical terms commonly used in formulation science and describe the roles of actives, adjuvants and excipients in a range of formulated product applications
  • describe the interactions between formulated products and both biological and non-biological systems, including adsorption, absorption, metabolism, excretion and distribution
  • demonstrate practical skills in the creation and analysis of formulated product types for a range of applications
    • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Biculturally competent and confident

      Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.

Prerequisites

Any 15 points of CHEM

Co-requisites

Any 15 points of CHEM

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 14:00 - 15:00 Rehua 528
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 12:00 - 13:00 Psychology - Sociology 115
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Lecture C
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 09:00 - 10:00 Jack Erskine 340
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 15:00 - 18:00 West 230 Formulation Lab
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 16:00 - 17:00 West 213A
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Ali Reza Nazmi

Lecturer

Conan Fee

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Laboratory Assessments 30%
Final Exam 50%
Test 10%
Test 10%

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,036.00

International fee $5,188.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Product Design on the departments and faculties page .

All PROD131 Occurrences

  • PROD131-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025