Dramaturgy Programme description

Applicants must have achieved the Higher Education Entrance Qualification and passed the admission test, cf. the current Regulations on Admission to Universities and University Colleges, adopted by the Ministry on the basis of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges Section 8.

Applicants older than 25 years who cannot document the Higher Education Entrance Qualification can be assessed on the basis of prior learning and work experience. Separate criteria have been defined for assessing prior learning and work experience. See OsloMet’s website.

Applicants are ranked on the basis of the admission test; see the applicable guidelines for the admission test to the three-year Product Design programme at OsloMet.

The Norwegian Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, which was adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research in March 2009, provides an overview of the overall learning outcomes defined in terms of the knowledge, skills and competence students are expected to have achieved after completing the education. The descriptions of learning outcomes in the programme and course descriptions are prepared in accordance with the Qualifications Framework.

The students are expected to acquire information literacy and knowledge of the use of sources that enable them to find relevant literature and information. They should be capable of searching for specialist literature and compiling reference lists in accordance with the applicable template. They should also know the basic rules governing citations and the use of sources and know what is defined as plagiarism and cheating in student work.

The programme is designed to ensure that students acquire knowledge, skills and competence that qualify them to lead design projects in the private and public sectors. OsloMet is actively working to ensure that its study and working environment promotes the best possible learning for all students.

The programme description’s learning outcomes aim to address the programme’s consistency and continuity. The goals of the programme description reflect the labour market’s needs, demands and expectations of candidates, but also aim to encourage development in and add new expertise to the labour market. The students and OsloMet have a common responsibility for achieving these goals.

The students will progress throughout the course of the programme to become:

• independent
• responsible
• open to change
• innovative
• reflective

After completing and passing the three-year bachelor’s degree programme in Product Design, the candidate is expected to have achieved the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The candidate:

• has knowledge of different design methods and strategies and is capable of considering the contexts in which these can be applied as useful tools in the design process
• has knowledge of different materials and about the materials’ potential and qualities in a production context
• is familiar with and capable of applying theories and principles of sustainable design
• is familiar with and capable of applying theories and practice relating to branding
• possesses cultural and adaptive knowledge

Skills

The candidate is capable of:

• using different methods, tools (manual and digital) and machinery in creative processes
• using creativity and innovation in his/her own field through conscious use of aesthetic effects and materialisation of concepts
• applying theory as part of the design process
• documenting his/her work (2D and 3D) in a way that communicates
• communicating and cooperating with other practitioners of the profession both at an interdisciplinary level and in his/her own field
• mastering project management
• exhibiting cultural and social flexibility when faced with other cultures – local and global, as well as ethnic

Competence

The candidate

• understands the relationship between the profession, the business sector and society (the designer’s role) by being capable of:
  • mastering the design process
  • applying a user perspective in the analysis and development of design
  • using methods, research results and theories
• gathering and using relevant sources, literature and other information, including basic referencing
• understanding material culture and the complete life cycle of products
• understanding value-based approaches to product design
• understanding society’s need for sustainable design

The programme is a profession-oriented three-year education, and candidates who complete and pass the programme are awarded the degree Bachelor of Product Design. The programme has a scope of 180 credits, meaning that students take 60 credits in each of the three years. All the courses are compulsory. Each course concludes with a final assessment.

Although the bachelor’s programme is generally taught in Norwegian, it is a precondition that the students have good English skills. There will be lectures and literature in English already in the first year. In the fourth semester, which is the international semester, teaching will be conducted almost solely in English. In the fifth semester, which is facilitated for student exchanges, a large part of the teaching and syllabus will be in English.

Theory and practice

The programme is designed to include close interaction between theory, application and workshop-based practice. It has a successive structure, where students gain broader and deeper expertise to take on product design assignments throughout the programme.

The programme’s content helps students to acquire knowledge that contributes to an understanding and development of multicultural competence, respect and tolerance. See the course descriptions for more detailed information about the content of the various courses.

The department’s focus on material-oriented product design is reflected in the organisation of activities, with specialised workshops for work with:

• Wood
• Metal
• Textiles
• Ceramics
• Concrete
• Plastic

The programme consists of practical and theoretical elements that are introduced in the different courses, with progress throughout the programme. There are therefore special requirements for study progress. Students are offered supervision in the workshops in the second and third years of the programme.

Cooperation across year groups

The students will participate in several workshops throughout the course where there will be interaction across the year groups. This includes joint lectures.Each year, the three classes will complete a four-week project where they carry out a group project in cooperation with external parties.

Progress in the programme

First year of the programme:Basic design skills

• Design process
• Understanding of materials
• Processing techniques
• 2D and 3D drawing (manually and digitally)
• Aesthetics
• Understanding of form

Second year of the programme: Methodology and user orientation

• Functionality and user participation
• Aesthetics
• Communication
• International competence
• Cultural understanding

Third year of the programme: Project management and specialisation

• Innovation
• Positioning
• Project management
• Critical reflection
• Individual specialisation