Study options

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

Degree:

Master of Arts (Art and Design)

Application period:

28 Nov 2024 – 27 Dec 2024

Language of instruction:

English

Duration:

2 years, full-time

Eligibility:

Relevant Bachelor's degree

Field of study:

Art and Design

Credits:

120 ECTS

Organising school:

School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Tuition fees:

For non-EU/EEA citizens, €20000/y (Master’s studies) Read more

Applying to master’s programmes

Description

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 the public sector.

Collaborative and Industrial Design is one of the three majors of the Master’s Programme in Design, the others being Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design (FaCT) and Contemporary Design (CoDe). In addition, the Master’s Programme in Design collaborates closely with the Master’s Programme in Creative Sustainability (CS) and International Design Business Management (IDBM). All are two-year programmes, whereby students graduate with a Master of Arts degree in Design.

The Collaborative and Industrial Design study option extends industrial design into interaction design, service and social design, co-design, and other emerging fields where design activities can enhance the quality of the environment and people’s lives. Students learn empathic, critical, strategic, and technical competencies and capabilities needed in design innovation processes. They are also encouraged to explore novel roles in design and industry. Over the duration of their major studies, students will develop an understanding of design in relation to innovation and contemporary culture, be it local or global, private, or public. The students will also develop an extensive ability to design, lead design projects, and collaborate with designers and non-designers, and thus become able to shape change in communities and companies.

Aalto University is globally ranked in top ten in the field of art and design by QS World University Ranking. The world-class teaching and facilities ensure that, upon graduating from the study option, graduates are able to:

  • create future oriented products, services and systems as a member of a multidisciplinary or trans-disciplinary team and/or as an individual designer.
  • combine creativity, curiosity, continuous renewal and expression with analytical skills and practice.
  • understand how to lead and communicate design-driven, often complex processes with empathy, critical thinking and research-founded reasoning.  
  • comprehend how design contributes to socio-material transformations for a sustainable future. 
  • undertake design research to build knowledge to support and justify the practical work, and to possibly apply for education leading to a Doctor of Arts degree. 
  • apply design practices to social, environmental, organizational and technological transformations. 
  • apply design strategically in the context of product development and innovation. 
  • integrate collaborative and human-centred approach into different scales and domains.  
  • use creative design, systems thinking, and participatory approaches to develop solutions accountably and ethically.  
  • provide design expertise and leadership in complex projects in multidisciplinary teams. 
  • articulate and transfer understanding of design process to other design and non-design competencies.

Language of instruction

In the Collaborative and Industrial Design studies, the language of instruction is English.

Tuition fees and scholarships

The tuition fee for this programme is 20 000 euros per academic year. Citizens of European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland do not pay tuition fees. Citizens of other countries must pay tuition fees.

Aalto University offers a small number of scholarships in the form of tuition fee waivers to fee-paying students. Scholarships can be awarded to the highest-achieving applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria. Applicants are ranked according to the criteria outlined on the programme's webpage.

More information on tuition fees and scholarships at Aalto University is available at the Scholarships and Tuition Fees webpage.

Structure of studies

Overall, the Master’s Programme in Design – Collaborative and Industrial Design comprises a total of 120 ECTS credits. Main compulsory studies are selected from the major’s study offering. Students will also participate in joint studies of the Department of Design (12 ECTS) and will produce a thesis project around a design subject (30 ECTS). In addition, students choose elective studies according to their Personal Study Plan.

The first study period is reserved for grounding the students with principles of human-centred design. After this, the study paths become more personal, while a course of interaction design to kick off the Spring semester of the first year is also mandatory for all. The programme provides latitude to select courses from within, or outside the curriculum, to enable tailoring of one’s studies. Some department-level joint studies bring the students of different MA programmes together, for example, to focus on Design Research.

During the second year, the thesis project is developed initially in parallel with the course work, and in the Spring often full time. It enables portraying the ability of the student to perform an individual study or project, while most of the projects on courses are team-based and collaborative in nature.

Students are trained in concept design, co-design, strategic design, and design research. They learn skills needed to capture and reframe design briefs and problems to justify their well-founded insights and develop well-grounded design concepts into suitable, validated representations, according to their study interest and path. They also learn strategic skills necessary to manage innovation and entrepreneurial processes and practices in business settings, as well as co-design skills to manage social innovation in organizations and the public sector. As the study paths are quite individual, activity and initiative in creating one are valuable traits. Academic advisor, other staff, and experiences from fellow students are of value in creating one’s Personal Study Plan.

For further information about studies see Student guide under Curriculum

Master's Programme in Design

Specialisations

Despite their specific interests and study path, all students learn empathic, critical, strategic, and technical skills needed in design innovation processes and practices. They are also encouraged to explore unforeseen roles in the design industry.

At CoID, people are the starting point for design action, and the scope in studies expands towards collaborative design processes, the use of interactive technologies, and the design of services, in a societal context and in business. Students are asked to focus on either service and social design, on industrial design and product development, or on interaction design and UX. The curriculum caters for the specialization, while providing the systems view to all. In project courses, students from each study path often contribute and merge their learnings and skills, which creates a fertile learning experience.

Besides the main study contents described above, students can select elective studies either from within the programme, from other degree programmes, or from available minor programmes. Specific study contents are to be agreed upon in the making of a Personal Study Plan.

Internationalisation

Upon joining Aalto University, students are welcomed to an international community of competent, creative, and responsible individuals. 15 % of the students and 40 % of the faculty in the University come from across the world, bridging students with the global design network. The School of Arts, Design and Architecture has strong connections to other leading design schools and universities across the globe. Students are encouraged to apply for internships and exchange studies as well as gain experience by taking part in international competitions, exhibitions, conferences, and trade fairs to further enrich their personal learning path.

Further study opportunities

As the studies at CoID are strongly grounded in theory of the learning outcomes, they prepare the graduates to also continue their studies towards a doctoral degree at Aalto University or at another university in Finland or abroad.

Career opportunities

Focusing on design innovation, CoID provides students with an in-depth understanding of design’s role in society with advanced skills to work as designers as well as design and thought leaders in various business domains, as entrepreneurs or as innovators in the private or public sector.

Research focus

Design research at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture is at the international forefront in sustainable design, practice-based design research, human-centred design, and co-design. Our research environment enables, and our culture encourages goal-oriented research, imaginative experiments, critical discussion, and transdisciplinary collaboration.

The research teams at the department and beyond contribute to the teaching of many CoID courses directly. Some courses have research project related assignments.

Co-operation with other parties

Multidisciplinary collaboration between the six Aalto University schools is extensive. The School of Arts, Design and Architecture has a long tradition of successfully collaborating with external partners in projects and courses and nurturing close relationships with several external stakeholders. Companies, research institutes, for-profit, not-for-profit, and public organizations frequently reach out to Aalto University as one of the leading design schools in Europe to work with students on real-world societal problems and business opportunities.

Applying to master’s programmes

Study-option-specific Evaluation Criteria in Master's Admissions 2025

Applicants meeting Aalto’s general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that have been decided in advance for each study option. The applications to the Master’s Programme in Design - Collaborative and Industrial Design (CoID) will be evaluated based on the following criteria.

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Contact information

Learning Services at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

For enquiries regarding programme-specific application documents or studies in the programme, please contact Aalto ARTS Learning Services.

[email protected]

Admissions Services

For enquiries regarding the application process, obligatory application documents or English language proficiency, please contact Admissions Services.

[email protected]

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