Bachelor Programme in Industrial Design 180 credits

While studying

Your first year focuses on the essentials of industrial design, combining sketching, prototyping and practical techniques in both workshops and digital labs. In the second year you broaden your perspective by applying interaction, systems and participatory design, while beginning to explore service design and research‑informed methods. In the final year you bring your skills together, define your voice and deliver an independent project that reflects your ambitions as an industrial designer.

Throughout all three years you collaborate on live projects with companies, public organisations and civic partners, learning to respond to complex real‑world contexts with curiosity, creativity and a strong sense of responsibility.

Industry-like design studios

All programmes are housed in industry‑like design studios where each student has an individual workspace. The shared spaces, including workshops, computer labs, paint rooms, the photo studio and the libraries, create supportive and innovative learning environments shaped by a strong collaborative spirit.

24/7 access to facilities

Students have access to the school facilities around the clock, whether it is a weekday, weekend, day or night. The workshops include 3D printers, laser cutters, milling machines, paint rooms and a wide range of additional tools that support hands-on exploration. Our digital infrastructure features multiple computer labs and studios, enabling students to develop skills in 3D modelling, digital sketching, electronic prototyping and programming.

Applied design courses

Applied design projects form the backbone of the Bachelor Programme in Industrial Design. These projects bring together lectures, field trips, site visits, group method work, user studies and studio practice. Many are carried out in collaboration with external partners, and students receive tutoring from both our own teachers and visiting professional designers. The projects you engage in are human and more‑than‑human centred, grounded in the needs of specific user groups rather than traditional product categories.

Design techniques

Between major project periods, you will take in‑depth courses that strengthen your design practice across a range of techniques, including:

• Sketching and visualisation
• Form and colour studies
• Model making and workshop techniques
• Communication strategies
• Digital 3D modelling (CAID)
• Material exploration
• Physical and digital prototyping

Collaborative degree projects

The second half of the sixth and final term is devoted entirely to the examination project. You will carry out this project in cooperation with a corporate sponsor or another external partner. The work is treated as a collaboration rather than a commission, allowing you to explore your own design direction while engaging with real‑world needs. You are expected to define a clear problem area, establish contact with an external partner and develop a project brief that outlines your aims, methods and anticipated deliverables.

A design student’s answer to DJ stage fright

In his degree project Viktor Strömberg has explored how DJs can build confidence and joy in live performance.

Courses in the programme

Year 1

• Becoming a designer: Introduction
• Exploration of form and materials
• Design expression 1
• Design studies 1
• Designing for functionality
• Designing for people
• Design expression 2
• Design studies 1

Year 2

• Exploration of interaction and experience
• Designing with people
• Design expressions 3
• Design studies 3
• Becoming a designer: Practice
• Designing together
• Design expressions 4
• Design studies 4

Year 3

• Exploration of design (as) research
• Designing design: Immersion
• Becoming a designer: Direction
• Design expressions 5
• Design studies 5
• Designing design: Articulation
• Degree project in design
• Being a designer: Reflection

Future and career opportunities

The programme’s close ties with companies, including a ten-week internship, make students highly attractive in the job market. Graduates go on to work as industrial designers in diverse fields, from consumer products to healthcare, mobility and digital experiences. Many join leading design consultancies or international companies, while others pursue entrepreneurial paths or continue to advanced studies.

Exchange studies

The BFA Programme in Industrial Design is open to exchange students on a one-term basis. For more information on how to apply, please visit the website for exhange studies.

Programme director

Karey Helms

Associate professor

Email

+46 90 786 94 40

Read more about Karey Helms