This Master of Arts trains emerging designers to lead product and systems development on an international scale. You will learn to take projects from first idea through prototyping to market launch, combining design practice with business understanding. The course emphasises critical reflection on both design and entrepreneurial decisions and promotes solutions that are socially responsible and culturally informed.
Teaching is interdisciplinary and project-based: faculty from design, engineering, computer science and business collaborate to deliver real-world projects that can evolve into commercial ventures. The curriculum also integrates intercultural communication and international cooperation—students regularly work in cross-cultural teams and can opt for a study-abroad semester at one of the programme’s partner universities to gain first‑hand international experience.
This programme trains designers to become entrepreneurial practitioners who can take ideas through research, validation and production to market-ready products, services or systems. Teaching is organised around four pillars—design, production, business and professional profile development—and emphasises independent, project-based work: each student develops an individual project that is iteratively tested, validated and prepared for production and real-world use.
In the first semester you work on two major project courses (one focused on design, one on business) supported by courses that build cross-cultural awareness and ethical responsibility. Core modules teach design research and ideation, business start-up tools, transnational & intercultural development, and design impact with a focus on responsibility and sustainability—equipping you to generate viable concepts with attention to ergonomics, ethics and global contexts.
The second semester moves into validation, prototyping and business development. You progress from concept to product through modules on product development, prototyping/production and business development, while a 10‑credit elective block lets you deepen craft and technical skills, specialise your design area (e.g., service, product or space design), or enhance professional capabilities such as communication, foreign languages and future skills. There is also the option to spend the second semester abroad at a partner university to further specialise.
The programme concludes with an independently supervised Master’s thesis in the final semester (30 credits), where you finalise and document your production-ready solution and the entrepreneurial pathway for bringing it to market.
Key modules and structure (credits)
Core learning outcomes
Option
This Master’s is aimed primarily at international applicants who already hold a first degree in a design-related subject or a closely related field that involves design methods. Typical acceptable backgrounds include industrial design, interaction design, product design, or neighbouring disciplines that teach design methodology such as information technology, computer science, or mechanical engineering.
You must also meet the university’s general admission conditions, and your prior degree needs to be recognised as sufficient for entry to a Master’s programme in Germany. If you are unsure whether your qualification is considered equivalent, consult the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) databanks or the Anabin database maintained by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
Admission requirements (summary)
Winter Semester (International)
15 April 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 April 2026
Graduates are prepared for roles that bridge design, technology and business: product and service designer, design manager, innovation consultant, in-house entrepreneur or founder of design-led startups. The combination of prototyping, production know-how and business development equips you to work in studios, R&D teams, manufacturing companies, innovation labs and consultancy firms.
The intercultural and project-based nature of the programme also suits careers in international teams and organisations where cross-border collaboration, cultural awareness and the ability to bring products to market are essential.