Masterstudio Industrial Design provides a high-level, individualised, professional and research-oriented qualification on the basis of “advanced design”. The programme enables the students to methodically and creatively hone their own individual forward-looking approach to design. Product design and project work are embedded in our international network, taking place in close cooperation with selected experts affiliated with the ICDP. The Masterstudio Industrial Design programme focuses on three main contemporary research areas: Digital Integration, Design Cultures and Circular Design. The discourses surrounding global crises such as climate change or social inequality provide the basis for concrete research questions on and design solutions for sustainability and ecology, future planning and technology, interaction and materiality. We are not afraid to take a stand, define values and resituate design. The comprehensive and interdisciplinary modules of the three Masterstudio programmes add to and deepen the design perspectives gained previously by the students. “Advanced Design” describes approach and action. We think about design solutions from the perspective of user groups and their environment, assuming an extrapreneurial position: one geared towards better, more sustainable design strategies or products. Rather than adhering to the entrepreneurial dynamic of maximisation, we take the idea of a collaborative, systemic, inclusive and sustainable economy as our starting point.
Thank you for your interest in studying at the Basel Academy of Art and Design. The application deadline for a Bachelor's degree programme beginning in the fall semester 2024/25 has expired on March 15, 2024. The next application window for the fall semester 2025/26 opens on November 1, 2024.
NOTICE late application: It is possible to submit a late application. To do so, please contact us by email. If you have any further questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Information on admission, aptitude assessment and admission to the study programme
Academical qualifications Admission to the aptitude assessment normally requires one of the following qualifications:
A Bachelor’s degree in Design or a related field of study.
A similar, equivalent degree in Design (at BA level pursuant to the “Dublin Descriptors").
If an applicant shows promising design potential, lateral entry from a different discipline is possible; in this case, please contact the Head of the degree programme.
Language of tuition International students are welcome to apply for the Master’s degree programme. The language of tuition is English (B2 level or equivalent).
To apply for a place at the HGK Basel, the required documents must be submitted by 15.03.2024. Please send the specific enquiries to email address.
Masterthesis Mikko Thewes, Recycling FictionMasterthesis Patrick Salz, MiracleMasterthesis Valerie Notter, Pause
Information on programme contents
The programme is intended for people who have earned a BA in industrial or product design, designers, and applicants from related or design-oriented programmes.
The first semester of the master’s programme is devoted to project work, which is performed within the framework of international collaborations. Integrated project visits abroad provide a chance to gain intercultural experiences and enrich students’ skill sets. Our Advanced Design programme is made up of modules on specific topics such as technology, society, economy or the environment. They cover socio-economic developments and open up spaces for theoretical and applied research. The master’s thesis is meant to be an expression of the students’ personal profile and research investigations. In line with international standards, students have one year to complete it.
In addition to working with experienced mentors from the Masterstudio Industrial Design programme, students are guided by hand-picked affiliated professionals: influential, international personalities from the design world.
Graduates are qualified to work as designers in cultural or business settings and assume responsible positions in full-service design agencies; they can set up their own business, either alone or in a team, or they can choose to pursue a career in teaching and research. Students with an MA degree command cross-disciplinary skills that qualify them for professional work as a designer in a design agency, for a career in teaching and research, for free-lance work, either alone or in a team, or to set up a business of their own.
With its studios and central Campus.Workshops, HGK offers ideal conditions for combining craft curiosity, the acquisition of technical skills, and the necessary digital know-how. In addition, all students have their own 24/7 workspace in one of the spacious studios. In addition, the programme Interior Design & Scenography features an analogue and a digital workshop. The facilities are open to students 365 days a year.
Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW Masterstudio Design (MA) ICDP Freilager-Platz 1 Postfach CH-4002 Basel
room D 4.05
Masterstudio Design (MA) ICDP
FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandBasel Academy of Art and Design,
Masterstudio Design (MA) ICDP
Tower: D 4.05Freilager-Platz 1CH - 4142 Münchenstein near Basel
