Process Design BA at HyperWerk

Educational qualifications
Acceptance to the admission procedure regarding degree programmes in the field of Design (Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Scenography, Fashion Design, Process Design at Hyperwerk, Visual Communication and Digital Spaces) commonly requires one of the following certificates:

• a certified vocational baccalaureate
• a certified specialized baccalaureate
• a certified upper secondary school baccalaureate
• proof of equivalent education at upper secondary school level obtained otherwise

Language of tuition
The languages of tuition are German or English. Applicants with a foreign language background are required to submit proof of their language proficiency in German or English at level B2 (or equivalent) before commencing their studies.

On-the-job work experience or preparatory course in design
In addition, candidates need to provide proof of one year of on-the-job work experience or completion of a two-semester preparatory course in design. The work experience must include practical as well as theoretical knowledge in a professional field related to the subject of study.
Note: Proof of work experience or completion of a preparatory course in design is not required of candidates who are able to provide proof of a vocational baccalaureate in a professional field related to the subject of study, a Swiss certified baccalaureate with a focus on visual design, or a specialized, design-based baccalaureate. The attained degree need not explicitly be in a profession related to the specific field of study.

approved professional fields (PDF in German)

Catching up on the vocational baccalaureate
Candidates who have not completed at least three years of upper secondary education (level II) are not legally entitled to admission to a Bachelor's degree programme. Information concerning full-time or part-time, on-the-job training courses focusing on a vocational, design-based or specialized baccalaureate is provided by the local vocational schools.

Admission on the basis of exceptional talent
In exceptional cases, candidates can be admitted to the Bachelor’s degree programmes in Design and in Fine Arts without being in possession of an upper secondary school leaving certificate (level II), namely if they can provide proof of exceptional talent, either in a design-related or an arts-related field. The application documents must include a portfolio, a CV in tabular format, a reasoned request, and a letter of motivation. The head of the respective degree programme decides on the basis of the submitted documents whether such proof is provided.
Note: Candidates that fulfil the admission requirements on the basis of a completed upper secondary school education (level II) are excluded from admission on the basis of special talent.

How to proceed with regard to an “admission on the basis of exceptional talent” and how to register online.
We recommend that you register or at least make inquiries no later than 8 February, considering that it takes some time to review the submitted documents.

• Inquire in writing by email to YWRtaXNzaW9uLkJBLXByb3plc3NnZXN0YWx0dW5nLmhna0BmaG53LmNo and arrange an appointment with the respective head of the degree programme.
• Normally, you submit the following documents for assessment:
  
  • Portfolio
  • CV in tabular format
  • Reasoned request
  • Motivation letter
• Only then do you register via online registration (deadline 15 February).
• If the head of the degree programme accepts your application, you will receive from the degree programme’s office an invitation to the aptitude assessment.
• A successful aptitude assessment is prerequisite for admission to and enrolment in the degree programme.

To apply for a place at the HGK, the required documents must be submitted by 15.02.2023.

Info aptitude assessment 2023 (PDF in German)

Dates

• 15.02.2023
  Registration deadline and deadline for submitting the required documents for the aptitude assessment.
  
• 18.09.2023
  Fall Semester begin 2023/24

Further information on Part 2 – Assessment:
In the assessment, workshops and work in interdisciplinary project teams will provide insight into the course of study and will help evaluate if the applicant meets the expectations and requirements of the degree programme.

Study Regulations, Prozess Design, Bachelor (PDF Download)

As designers we shape the world: from formulating a thought to maintaining our relationships or building organisational structures. Everything in our world is designed. In the Process Design bachelor’s programme at the HyperWerk, you will learn to develop different types of coexistence and stimulate social change. The question is: How can we use the manifold possibilities of design to interact with our environment?

Process designers approach the topics and contents that our coexistence contains as challenges with curiosity and an open mind. Over the course of the degree, students make them visible in self-initiated projects and show possibilities for change. The thematic focal points are on sustainability, equity and digitality. In this field, projects are developed in which not only people but more-than-human actors such as animals, plants, mushrooms and robots are important. Process design goes beyond the guidelines of classical disciplines. Students learn in an interdisciplinary, self-initiated and self-organised way. Process designers become capable of acting in the present and learn to work towards a future worth living in.

The Process Design study programme is integrated into the HyperWerk of the Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM). The HyperWerk is an experimental lab – a constantly changing space of possibilities for new and unexpected forms of design. The HyperWerk is a breeding ground for transdisciplinary project work by and with students, staff and external people.

Modules

The academic year is split into six modules: within one module, several process design workshops, which students from all years can participate in, are offered on a weekly basis. In order to communicate a broad spectrum of current knowledge and skills, we invite specialists, experts, artists, designers and practitioners from a regional and international network to serve as workshop leaders and guest lecturers. The annual themes are developed by the students and lecturers in an intensive research and debate phase. In this way, the study programme is constantly evolving and updated.

Projects

At the HyperWerk, students learn to acquire knowledge and initiate projects: while the modules and workshops stress content-related topics, students work in parallel on their own institutional and collective projects. In the process, they get support as they independently implement their project, from the idea and the development of it to production and beyond. Projects make it possible to work in a focussed way over a longer period of time and encourage an exchange of knowledge among everyone at the HyperWerk, both students and staff. The vision of an individual learning process that promotes the interests and needs of the students can be realised in this way. 

Mentoring

The main interface between students and instructors is regular mentor-student dialogue. This dialogue permits a culture of exchange, trust and commitment to develop, offering students guided reflections and constructive critical engagement with their own areas of interest, academic content and learning progress.

Over the course of the study programme, process designers acquire a variety of process design skills:

Collaboration: Developing relationships

Process designers learn to design relationships that are simultaneously dynamic and binding. Whether in the collective process of a team assignment, designing a physical meeting place or interacting from afar: students hone their ability to think in networks and evaluate contexts, and use that for their projects.

Design: Experimenting with new forms of expression

During their studies, process designers experiment with both analogue and digital tools: from text, illustration and photography to audio, video, coding, 3D printing and virtual reality to multimedia, performative or completely new formats. By taking a playful approach, decisive means of implementation with new aesthetics develop on the search for adequate forms of expression. 

Reflection: Critically and mindfully documenting and debating

As they immerse themselves in academic content, process designers learn to critically reflect on and question norms. In a diversity-sensitive manner, they acquire knowledge that illuminates the variety of different perspectives. In doing so, they take into account the political dimensions of their work and practise working in an academic context.

Here you will find everything you need to know about the enrolment process at the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW.

The prospects for graduates are as varied as the individual learning paths of the students. After the degree programme, process designers are prepared to push social transformation forward in an interactive, collective and process-oriented manner. They can use their abilities in project management, networking and across disciplines. HyperWerk graduates work on projects and in agencies and institutions in the areas of sustainability, digitalisation, anti-discrimination, design, cultural administration, education, consulting, urban development and event organisation or the topic they specialised in.

With its studios, labs and central Campus.Workshops, the HGK provides an ideal environment for bringing together a curiosity for craftsmanship and a desire to learn technical skills and gain digital know-how. What’s more, all students have 24/7 access to their own workplace in the spacious studios. The HyperWerk also has its own workshop, a large technical warehouse and a self-managed workspace. In addition to handheld machines for woodworking and metalworking, the workshop also has robots, 3D printers, a leather-sewing machine and a tufting machine waiting to be discovered. Students who want to delve into the world of film and sound for a project have access to a sound studio and video editing suites. The warehouse – stocked with VR equipment, photo and video cameras, projectors, computers, monitors, lighting and sound electronics and many highly specialised objects – provides access to both rare and state-of-the-art equipment. The facilities are open to students 365 days a year.

Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst FHNW
Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM)
Freilager-Platz 1
Postfach

CH-4002 Basel

Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW
Prozessdesign at HyperWerk IXDM

Oslo-Strasse 3, Building: A 2.16
4142 Münchenstein / Basel

Phone: +41 61 228 40 33
Email: aW5mby5oeXBlcndlcmsuaGdrQGZobncuY2g=