Master's Degree Programme in Product Design – Design in Complexity Programme description

Our master's programme provides you with a strategic, interdisciplinary foundation to explore design’s changing role across the private and public sectors within product, service, and systems design, as well as design research. It equips you with essential skills to address complex challenges and foster innovation through a blend of theory and practical experience.

To design for the shift towards sustainable societies, digitisation of professional, social, and private life, professional designers need to constantly adapt and learn. Through the integration of Product, Service, Systems, Experience, Interaction, and Social Design, our programme prepares designers to lead meaningful change across industries, social sectors, and policy.

Upon successful completion of this master's programme, students are able to critically design for complex contexts. The complexity relates to the social/political, environmental, economic, and technological contexts in which the designer, as well as the products and services that they create, will perform and influence.

This education is for those who want to contribute to society with a unique blend of creativity, technical skills, and strategic thinking. Whether you are interested in national and international design research projects, product design, systems design, or design for health and well-being, the knowledge and skills gained during this degree can significantly impact personal growth and professional opportunities.

During the study, you will be involved in design processes that encompass creativity and strategic problem-solving. Throughout the course, we encourage our students to consider sustainable and ethical practices in creating products, systems, and services.

Upon successful completion of this programme, students are able to design for a wide variety of contexts. Their individual approach to the studies opens up diverse career paths in various industries.

This programme sets out to admit applicants from the fields of design, architecture, engineering, fine arts, graphic design, game design, and more. The programme considers design to explore complex issues faced by individuals, industries, and society. The Master’s Degree Programme in Product Design offers the tools and methods to provoke new thought, initiate social and cultural change, and address environmental issues.

Admission Requirements

To apply for this programme, you must have:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent, including at least 80 ECTS within the field of design. This may include product design, industrial design, service design, interaction design, furniture and interior design, design-oriented anthropology, universal design, inclusive design, medical/health design, game design, material culture and experimentation, or consumption and consumer behaviour, architecture, or design engineering.
• An average grade of at least C (according to the ECTS grading scale) on your bachelor’s degree.
• A portfolio consisting of documented design works related to products, systems, or services and a letter of motivation. The portfolio must demonstrate skills in visualisation and form development in a creative design process, the ability to define and analyse a design problem, general competence in using design methodology and design thinking, and the ability to demonstrate different holistic design solutions to a problem.

English Language Requirements

You also need one of the following:

• English from a Norwegian or Nordic upper secondary school and a bachelor’s degree from Norway or the Nordic countries.
• At least 4 in English from upper secondary school.
• Proof of your English proficiency.

For more details, refer to the section on admission to master’s programmes.

Du kan lese om praksisstudiet i programplanen, du finner praksiskalenderen, retningslinjer for praksis og med mer på nettsiden praksis for barnehagelærerutdanningen https://student.oslomet.no/praksis-barnehagelerer

The programme builds on the foundation that design can bridge individual and collective interests. It is a challenging programme that focuses on developing design solutions centred around human beings and their environment.

During the two-year degree programme, you will be challenged both in design practice and in the discussion of design and its role in societies.

The Master's Degree in Product Design runs for two years as a full-time study and is divided into several courses. All courses, except for the Master's Project (30 ECTS), have a value between 10 and 20 ECTS. All other courses are compulsory in order to complete the Master Programme in Product Design.

The different courses expose you to several design methodologies that help enhance and expand your individual design expression. Each course offers you the possibility to develop your own design projects within a set theme or methodology. This helps you in defining your personal value system and working methods. Particularly, the second-semester internship course or the third-semester exchange offers you the possibility to connect to relevant networks within design, craft, and industry in Norway or abroad.

Throughout the two years, the course encourages you to consider and develop design solutions that meet current and future societal challenges.

For more information, refer to the programme description.

Du finner utfyllende informasjon i programplanen. Beskrivelse av faglig progresjon, et støtteverktøy, finner du på nettsiden https://student.oslomet.no/praksis-barnehagelerer

Se beskrivelse i programplanen.

Se beskrivelse i programplanen.

Coursework assignments

Coursework assignments are defined in the individual course descriptions and further requirements are described in the work and teaching plan for the course. Assignments are carried out individually and in groups.

Coursework assignments are given the assessment Approved/Not approved. In courses with coursework assignments, the students must receive an approved on the coursework assignments in order to be able to take examinations and be given a final assessment of the course.

Not approved coursework requirements

Legitimate absence based on e.g. a medical certificate, does not exempt students from meeting the coursework requirements. Students, who due to illness or any other documented legitimate absence, who do not meet the coursework requirements within the appointed deadline, should as far as possible, be given a new attempt to meet the requirements, before the relevant examination.

Provisions governing examinations are laid down in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet . The form of assessments will be approved/not approved for compulsory assignments, and Pass/Fail for the exam in the MAPD Practical Placement or in the other exams a graded scale from A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E is a pass grade and F is a fail grade. The grade achieved in each course will be stated on the diploma.

Assessment methods vary between courses. They include written reports, oral presentations, physical models, prototypes, videos, portfolio assessments and oral examinations.

A portfolio assessment provides an overall assessment awarding one grade for the whole portfolio. Students may only appeal against the determination of the examination grade awarded for the whole portfolio.

If the portfolio consists of elements such as an oral presentation, practical work etc., the examination result cannot be appealed against. The right to appeal is stated in the individual course descriptions.

If the examination in a course consists of more than one part, all parts of the examination must be passed in order to pass the course.

A portfolio assessment provides an overall assessment awarding one grade for the whole portfolio. Students may only appeal against the determination of the examination grade awarded for the whole portfolio.

If the portfolio consists of elements such as an oral presentation, practical work etc., the examination result cannot be appealed against. The right to appeal is stated in the individual course descriptions.

If the examination in a course consists of more than one part, all parts of the examination must be passed in order to pass the course.

If the portfolio consists of elements such as an oral presentation, practical work etc., the examination result cannot be appealed against. The right to appeal is stated in the individual course descriptions.

Normally each course has two internal examiners to assess students' work. Each semester one course will be chosen to include an external examiner, thus the students' work will be assessed by one external and one internal examiner.

The Master's thesis is assessed by the one external examiner and one internal examiner, the supervisor is not a part of the grade setting in the master thesis. Guildeline for master's theses at the Faculty can be found here: Retningslinjer for masteroppgaver ved Fakultet for teknologi, kunst og design - Student - minside (oslomet.no)

Se beskrivelse i programplanen.