Design Futures (MA)

This master's programme reflects how product design increasingly operates at the crossroads of many disciplines rather than only producing industrially manufactured goods. It trains designers to work within a broad and changing professional landscape by treating design as a forward-looking practice. Students are encouraged to both anticipate futures and to interrogate the future of design as a discipline — questioning established roles, methods and outcomes.

The course is explicitly interdisciplinary: studio practice is combined with scientific discourse and close engagement with social developments. Teaching emphasizes a design process that values openness in results as well as the designer’s personal responsibility and individual approach. Overall, design is taught as an attitude and a practical tool that enables students to critically analyse complex real-world situations and intervene through thoughtful, responsible design work.

Languages of instruction: English and German. More information: https://id.folkwang-uni.de/ and https://www.folkwang-uni.de/en/home/design/courses-of-studies/design-futures-master-of-arts

Program expectations (concise)

• Work across disciplinary boundaries and collaborate with non-design fields
• Engage in scientific and critical discourse around design theory and practice
• Address contemporary social developments and their implications for design
• Develop open-ended, exploratory design processes and accept non-prescriptive outcomes
• Take personal responsibility for the ethical and societal impact of design interventions
• Be prepared to rethink and challenge the conventions of design as a profession

Program overview

This two-year MA is organised around six studio modules that together present a pluralistic exploration of design cultures, methods and theories. The studios are designed to help you find and shape your own design identity while exposing you to diverse approaches across the discipline. Alongside studio work, the curriculum includes seminars, hands-on workshops and project-based units that emphasise independent practice and experimentation.

You can also take selected seminars from the Communication Design and Photography programmes, widening your toolkit and cross-disciplinary contacts. The course aims to prepare graduates for a broad range of design careers by combining conceptual rigour with applied projects and professional-facing activities.

Since 2023 the department hosts the Space for Sustainability by Design (SBYD), which places sustainable, resource-light and circular design approaches at the center of teaching and research. The university has been recognised as an "Innovative University" for the SBYD initiative by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Joint Science Conference — an award that also brings substantial funding to support related teaching and research activities.

Key modules (curriculum components)

• Six studio modules covering multiple design cultures, methods and theoretical perspectives
• Seminars that deepen theoretical and contextual knowledge
• Practical workshops and project units focused on independent and applied work
• Ability to join selected seminars in Communication Design and Photography degree programmes
• Space for Sustainability by Design (SBYD) as a dedicated focus on sustainable, resource-light and circular design practices

Learning outcomes

• Develop a distinct personal design identity rooted in critical reflection and practice
• Apply a pluralistic range of design methods and theoretical frameworks to projects
• Produce independently-driven, project-based work suitable for professional contexts
• Transition into diverse design professions with practical experience and cross-disciplinary skills
• Engage in sustainable and circular design research and practice supported by a funded university initiative

Graduates are prepared for a wide range of design professions and interdisciplinary roles where design intersects with technology, society and policy. The programme equips students to work in practice-led studios, design research, sustainability-focused roles, service and product innovation, and strategic or consultancy positions that demand critical, future-oriented design thinking.

The emphasis on independent projects and pluralistic studios also makes it possible for graduates to pursue further academic research or specialised professional paths within creative industries and cross-sector teams.