Study at Aalto

Get a degree in arts, design and architecture

The Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture is a Nordic leader in higher education for design, fashion, games, architecture, film, and art. We educate the next generation of filmmakers, designers, artists and art educators, photographers, and architects to impact society through their creative work and research.
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Applying to Bachelor's Programmes

Bachelor's programme in Design

In the field of arts, you can study at bachelor's level in English in the Bachelor's Programme in Design. Learn more about the programme below! Admissions to Aalto University's bachelor's programmes taught in English are organised once a year. The next application period runs from 8 to 23 January 2025.

Design thinking female

Design and Media, Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Design is not linked purely to physical objects but digital experiences and abstract concepts as well, enhancing its power to shape the world. Embracing these opportunities, the Bachelor’s Programme in Design prepares students for designing future products, services and systems in a creative and critical manner.

Study options
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Admission to Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media, Bachelor and Master of Arts (3 yrs + 2 yrs)

The application period for Bachelor's Programme in Design and Media is from 8 to 23 January 2025. Studies start in August-September 2025. Applicants are selected to complete both the Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees. Admission to the Bachelor’s Programme in Design and Media is based on preliminary assignments, intake assignments, and an interview.

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Student webinar | Bachelor's studies in Design (external link)

Learn more about our student's experiences in studying design at Aalto University.

Discover master's programmes in arts, design and architecture

At master's level, we offer studies in the fields of art and media, design, film and television, game design, fashion and architecture. See our wide selection of master's studies below and find your favourites! Admissions to Aalto University's master's programmes are organised once a year. The application period for our master's programmes is 28 Nov – 27 Dec 2024.

Master's studies in art and media

Visual Communication Design - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

In the Visual Communication Design major you get to investigate contemporary modes of acting and thinking through visual communication.

Visual Communication Design

Game Design and Development - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

A unique mix of artistic and technical aspects in game design and development, grounded in Nordic game dev culture and the latest research.

Climbing wall

REPLAY - The European Game Design Masters (Erasmus Mundus), Master of Arts (Art and Design)

REPLAY is a two-year European Master Program that unites students from around the world with the goal of creating meaningful game experiences through design, experimentation, and development.

replay

Sound in New Media - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The aim of the Major in Sound in New Media is to explore, discover and comprehend the emerging digital technology and its aural impact in society; to find and exploit the possibilities it opens to acoustic communication, sonic interaction and new interfaces for musical expression and to evaluate, understand and deal with the challenges it poses to art, design, and creative production in the auditory domain.

Petteri Mäkiniemi and Ilpo Jauhiainen Musica Nova 2019 - Sound in New Media

New Media - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

In a technology-saturated world, it is indispensable to understand and study the impacts that technology has on individuals, organisations and society. The New Media major brings together a multicultural group of students with very versatile skills and backgrounds.

A person looking at a project work on a round table

Nordic Master in Visual Studies and Art Education (NoVA), Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Nordic Master in Visual Studies and Art Education (NM NoVA) is a double degree program between Aalto University (Finland) and Aalborg University (Denmark) in which students achieve a comprehensive understanding of Nordic practices and traditions in art education, visual culture, and cultural work.

NoVA study options

Photography - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

A photograph has an all-piercing force in society and culture, impacting individuals, communities and nations alike. In our image-saturated world, the significance of a powerful photograph hasn’t been lost. If anything, artists and photographers with something to say are needed now, more than ever before.

Lada Suomenrinne: Iđitguovssu, 2021 (yksityiskohta teoksesta)

Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

At VICCA, artists, curators and researchers aim to understand, challenge and shift the paradigms of contemporary art and the world around us.

The ViCCA prograne

Master's studies in design

Collaborative and Industrial Design - Design, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The studies in Collaborative and Industrial Design (CoID) focus on design's role in society. Students develop skills enabling them to work as design experts and leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators in a range of roles within industry, business, communities, education, and public sector.

Aalto-yliopisto A Grid / Photo: Unto Rautio

Contemporary Design - Design, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

What alternative materials can best replace plastic? How can traditional crafts be merged with contemporary design? What kind of products do we need in our changing society?

Iittala Experimental Design Process

Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design - Design, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Grounded in research-based knowledge of societal, cultural, and global change, the studies in Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design nurture creative exploration and conceptual thinking on a high artistic and professional level.

Aino Ojala, I Feel You 2023, MA Thesis

Creative Sustainability, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The Master’s Programme in Creative Sustainability (CS) provides a multidisciplinary learning platform in the fields of design, business, and materials and chemical engineering.

Creative sustainability students studying

International Design Business Management, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

IDBM is a pioneering study programme that embodies the vision of Aalto University by integrating design and technology with global business development.

IDBM students at IDBM Impact showcasing a digital solution

Master's studies in architecture

Architecture - Architecture, Landscape architecture and Interior Architecture, Architect, Master of Science

Architecture is technical and artistic, it is a social art and also an artful science.

Masters degree in Architecture

Interior Architecture - Architecture, Landscape architecture and Interior Architecture, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Interior architecture addresses the close human scale of space and furniture to create meaning and value to people and organisations, and to transform and renew the everyday living environment. Dealing with the design of immediate interior and exterior environments, interior architecture requires understanding on human culture, needs and aspirations, the bodily experience and senses, and the spatial, material and technological means to meet these. A skilled interior architect is capable of integrating diverse elements into functional and experiential design solutions that exceed the users’ and clients’ expectations and are socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.

The programme educates interior architects with a distinct design personality. It comprises studies on spatial design and furniture design. Concrete design assignments form a major part of education. The studies emphasise advanced practical design skills combined with conceptual and strategic design thinking and research-driven design. Students are encouraged to expand the frontiers of the discipline by addressing systems level problems and societal challenges across the scale of built environment.
Students graduated from the programme are eligible to work as professional interior architects.

Aalto Learning Centre Interior

Urban Studies and Planning, M.Sc in Architecture

"A diverse group of students with different backgrounds is inspiring. Every teacher has a different expertise and some different perspective to bring to the discussion, and the topics we learned broadened my knowledge of the city from very different perspectives”

Urban Studies and Planning

Master's studies in film and television

Cinematography - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

In Master’s Programme in Film and Television, major in Cinematography, the student deepens his/her vocational competence to achieve a greater mastery of the overall artistic, production and technical entity of his/her professional area in various film, TV and advertising productions.

A student in a hat filming in front of a red curtain.

Costume Design: Performing Arts and Film - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The Costume Design major of the Master’s Programme in Design for Theatre, Film and Television aims at creating the future professionals for the field of costume design, supporting the development of a dynamic artistic vision and a research-oriented approach for the performing arts and the film and media creative industries.

Costume Design

Film Directing - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Master’s programme in Film and Television, major in Film Directing in Elo Film school Finland strengthens the student’s capacity to generate and develop cinematic ideas, storybuilding and narration skills in addition to developing the director’s personal cinematic style and directorial identity.

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Documentary Film - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The goal of the major in Documentary Film is to form innovative, critical, and analytical documentary filmmakers for both the national and international arenas. The students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the history and conventions documentary filmmaking. Moreover, the program will encourage students to engage future perspectives of documentary filmmaking as a storytelling, art and research form.

Students will be able to develop their artistic and research skills through creative enquiry, practice and collaboration. They will be able to combine practical mastery and conceptual thinking, increasing their professional competence and situating them at the forefront of the documentary filmmaking field.

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Production Design - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The major in production design involves training artistic designers who are responsible for the visual, operational and production entity of a film production.

Image of a film set which resembles a café.

Film Editing - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The aim of the MA degree is to develop the student into an expert of viewing and seeing, a storyteller and an artist.

Two students are laughing at the computer.

Film Sound Design - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

In film and television production, sound design plays a vital role in creating an end product that gives the viewer a holistic, artistic experience.

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Film and Television Producing - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The goal of the Master’s Programme in Film and Television, major in Film and Television Producing, is to deepen the student’s skills in their chosen direction – towards independent audiovisual entrepreneurship, a research or development project in the film producing field, a deeper understanding of artistic leadership or some corresponding advanced competence planned together with the student.

Two students with a camera in front of a red curtain.

Screenwriting - Film and Television, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

The aim of the Master's Degree Programme in Screenwriting for Film and Television is to strengthen the student's individual expression, skills in writing for film and the abilities required in artistic and production-related process work and group work. Master’s students become familiar with the central theoretical questions in the field and its research.

Two students sorting post-it notes on the wall.

Animation, Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Animation major explores both the theory and practice of this most imaginative and joyous form of art. The programme is the first of its kind in Finland, and students will become part of a wide network in the Finnish and international animation community.

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Re:Anima (Erasmus Mundus), Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Re:Anima is oriented towards an international dimension of the industry and the profession. It envisions the creation of an international community of animators who make diverse connections and create a network for future career endeavours. Re:Anima strives for establishing a high-level profile and a network of global connections, namely via the involvement of international professionals in the programme, including experts from international production companies. With the combination of the students’ individual learning trajectory and a broad, multicultural orientation, Re:Anima assumes a unique presence in Europe, and strongly intersects with the needs of the animation film industry.

Student webinar | Master's studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Our students share their experiences in studying in master's programmes in art, design and architecture.

Watch the webinar recording
Student working on a project in a wood workshop. Photo: Mikko Raskinen / Aalto University
Applying to master’s programmes

Doctoral programme in Arts, Design and Architecture

The main purpose of our doctoral education is to teach how to create new knowledge through scientific and artistic methods and theories. The doctoral programme is perfect for those seeking careers in art, design, film, media or architecture. A special feature of the programme is that the thesis can include art or design productions.

Aalto Doctoral Programme in Arts, Design and Architecture

The Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture offers an international doctoral programme for those seeking careers in art, design, film, media or architecture. A special feature of the programme is that the thesis can include art or design productions. The Department of Art and Media, the Department of Architecture, the Department of Design and the Department of Film, Television and Scenography offer doctoral studies for a Doctor of Arts (Art and Design) and a Doctor of Science (Architecture) degrees.

Aalto ARTS

How to apply for doctoral studies?

Find out what is required of applicants and what can our doctoral studies offer!

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Learn more about the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and Aalto University

According to the QS World University 2024, the School of Arts, Design and Architecture is ranked the #8 worldwide (the fields of art and design).

As the world becomes more unpredictable, creative skills and solutions are needed more than ever. We educate our students to become world citizens who create imaginative, cooperative and unconventional approaches to answer complex societal challenges.

School of Arts, Design and Architecture graduates in working life

School of Arts, Design and Architecture Master's graduates are successful in finding jobs relating to their education. On this page you can find information on job titles, job sectors and career development of our graduates.

Photo: Unto Rautio

Rankings and reputation

As one of the leading international universities in our fields, Aalto's teaching, research and impact are well respected and we are often ranked among the best in the world.

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Fall in love with Finland and Aalto

Finland’s excellent reputation in education, combined with a wide range of courses offered in English, makes Finland and Aalto University an attractive study destination for international students.

A guy peeks from behind fresh green birch branches. Photo: Aalto University / Unto Rautio

Student life at Aalto

Discover genuine stories about student life at Aalto and life after graduation.

Opiskelijat juhlivat lukukauden aloitusta opiskelijahaalareissa. Kuva: Lasse Lecklin

Read stories from our students and alumni

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Aarni Kapanen illustrates Dudes & Feelings podcasts

Fighting toxic masculinity with a podcast and the help of Visual Communication Design.

News
Irene Purasachit

Irene Purasachit saw the floral industry’s waste problem firsthand – now she makes material for handbags from discarded blooms

Nearly half of cut flowers end up in the trash, never making their way to dinner tables or first dates

News
cucumbers on a plate covered with biobased liquid

No more plastic wrap? Students create novel biobased packaging for cucumbers

A dip in the biobased liquid gives cucumbers a protective film. Innovative idea will be presented in the international BioDesign Challenge competition.

News
Näytös21-voittaja Jenny Hytösen mallisto yhdistää kristalleilla kirjailtuja, läpinäkyviä verkkokankaita ja vahvasti niititettyä nahkaa.

Näytös21 fashion show made an impact also online

The main prize winner is Jenny Hytönen, also Sofia Ilmonen and Juha Vehmaanperä were awarded.

News
Kuvataideopiskelijoiden ikkunainstallaatio oli esillä Amos Rex -museossa osana Egyptin varjo -opintoprojektia.

Study project draws out the background of Amos Rex's popular Egypt exhibition

Shadow of Egypt, a study project by students in art education ran alongside the Egypt of Glory exhibition.

News
A man in a soundproof studio waving an object to create sound

Creating sounds and raising the bar - an interview with Film Sound Designer Iivo Korhonen

Mundane sounds support the characters' personality and Iivo Korhonen is the one recording them. He encourages everyone to dream big, because sometimes that may become your reality.

News

Stay connected with us

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Fairs and events for applicants

This page gives information on upcoming events, fairs and webinars for applicants. Join Aalto students for a virtual coffee every Friday or come meet Aalto University students and staff in Finland and abroad!

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Chat with Aalto students

Are you wondering what it is like to study at Aalto? Come chat with our students and alumni about all things Aalto on Unibuddy chat platform.

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