All degree programmes, Basel Academy of Art and Design

The master’s degree in Arts and Design Education, Teaching Diploma for Secondary Schools is offered in collaboration with the FHNW School of Education. A central component of the programme takes the form of individual artistic and design-related projects as well as aesthetic-research projects, which are supported by colloquia and mentorships.

Working with art and design – and with people: The bachelor in Arts and Design Education offers a strong foundation for direct entry into a career in socioculture, art, design and cultural education, or embarking on an Master.

The programme enables students to enhance their skills in the areas of design practices, technical knowledge, research methods and theoretical knowledge in the context of digital communication channels.

Doing fashion is a culture, and fashion design is a cultural practice. Fashion is involved in all areas that are very important to us at the moment. Alongside a emphasis on performance and performativity, the degree programme is characterised by a focus on the body, its perception and movement, on body-based design methods and on body-knowledge.

Studying Fine Arts fosters the develop of a distinct, individual artistic position. In the studio, in workshops, in project work and in the context of exhibitions students gradually develop their own artistic language.

The masterprogramme focuses on an in-depth examination of the students’ artistic practice. By means of reflection they advance their practice and relate it to the current as well as historical art context.

Aesthetics, usability, materials, emotional impact, legibility, formal value: the design of serially produced goods draws on the knowledge of various disciplines. To assume an active role as designers in an era of rapid social change, students learn how to approach their own discipline with confidence and how to deal with related areas in a professional and socially competent manner.

The degree programme offers a comprehensive education that prepares students to design urban spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also socially relevant and sustainable. At a time when spaces are increasingly perceived as integral components of social life and the public sphere, this degree programme provides the necessary knowledge and practical skills to create spaces that meet the demands of our present and future.

The way we dress is an effective form of non-verbal communication that can convey a variety of messages about our identity, including our cultural background and personal values. In the Masterstudio Fashion Design, students embark on a creative journey to explore the intersection of cultural identity and innovation in fashion.

The Masterstudio Industrial Design programme is positioned around three current research focal points: Digital Integration, Design Cultures, and Circular Design. Discourses on global crises such as climate change and social inequality provide the framework for concrete research questions and design solutions around sustainability and ecology, future-shaping and technology, interaction and materiality.

In the Masterstudio Scenography, students develop the ability to confidently translate challenging content into accessible spatial images and develop staged spaces with narrative quality.

Everything in our world is designed: from our everyday objects and the architecture of our cities to the structures and systems that affect how we interact. As designers, we help to shape this world: students learn how to develop different forms of co-living and initiate social change. The focus is on the key issues of social justice, sustainability and digitality, which are addressed in a collaborative way.

Transversal Design is a study programme for practice-based research that grows community infrastructures for worlds in transition. We investigate the social, political, ecological and technological dynamics of the systems we live by to design for grounded transformation – from alternative media, speculative models, and practices of care, to tools for solidarity and radical proposals for innovation.

As digitisation progresses, visual communication is becoming increasingly important, and developing a critical approach to images is becoming increasingly important. The bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication and Digital Spaces focuses on the reflective development of visual messages for everyday and specialised communication contexts.