Bachelor's Degree Programme in Product Design Programme description

Studiet i produktdesign er et treåring profesjonsrettet studium. Kandidater som har fullført i henhold til programplanen tildeles graden bachelor i produktdesign. Graden kan også tildeles på grunnlag av høgskolen tidligere 2-årig høgskolekandidatutdanning i produktdesign (120 stp.) med påbyggende 1-årig utdanning i formgivning og produktutvikling (60 stp.).

Studiets profil er preget av samhandling mellom materialitet og konseptutvikling. Utdanningen skal gi studentene kompetanse til å arbeide med materialtilknyttede, prosessuelle og estetiske problemstillinger, sett i et globalt, kulturelt, bruker- og markedsmessig perspektiv.

Vi lever i en tid der den estetiske utformingen av dagliglivet spiller en avgjørende rolle. Dette gjør design til en stadig viktigere profesjonsutøvelse som gjør seg gjeldende på flere plan enn tidligere. Den faglige tradisjonen i studiet karakteriseres ved en konkret, verkstedsbasert utprøving av materialer og prosesser knyttet til utvikling av produkter for et bærekraftig miljø. Her spiller også den sansemessige erfaringen en grunnleggende rolle.

Produktdesign er et fagområde med vekt på både tradisjoner og historie, brukerorientering og funksjonalitet knyttet opp mot nåtid, etterspørsel i markedet, bærekraftighet og trender.

Studiet er tilpasset profesjonsmessige premisser og skaper samtidig rom for studentenes individuelle utvikling og refleksjon over egen progresjon.

Studiet er forskningsbasert: forskning og kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid danner grunnlag for en kontinuerlig utvikling av studiets innhold og struktur, som involverer både stipendiater og studenter.

Studiet kvalifiserer til opptak på mastergrad i produktdesign.

The master’s degree programme is a part-time programme over four years. The first 60 credits make up the advanced programme in mental health care and courses, topics and lectures will therefore be coordinated as far as possible. In addition, the programme offers a research methods course worth 10 credits.

Students who have previously completed the Advanced Programme in Mental Health Care under the national curriculum of 2005

will take the following courses over two years:

• MAPSD4050 or an elective course
• MAPSD4310
• One elective course
• MAPSD5900

Specialisation through elective courses

Students must choose two elective courses amounting to 20 credits, and the programme’s elective courses are offered in the fifth and sixth semester. Elective courses from other master’s programmes at the university can also be taken as electives, and will be mentioned specifically under each academic year.

The elective courses are intended to help the students to acquire special expertise through in-depth study of a specific topic. Students will develop analytical competence and further develop their understanding and assessment skills in their chosen topic.

A list of the courses for the 2019-2020 academic year is provided below:

• MAPSD5400 Family Work in Mental Health Care, 10 credits (Autumn) 
• MAPSD5100 Mental Health Care with Minority Patients, Migration and Exile, 10 credits. /ECTS (Spring).

Elective courses from other master's degree programmes at the university can be taken as electives, as long as they fit into your semester and there are vacant places.Please contact the nearest faculty or department for more information. 

• SFB4000 – Theoretical Approaches to Family: the knowledge base for therapeutic work, 10 credits. (Master’s Degree Programme in Applied Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences) (Autumn)
• SFB5110 – Issues of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 10 credits (Master’s Degree Programme in Applied Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences) (Autumn)
• SFV4400 Social Welfare, Social Work and Human Rights, 10 credits (Master’s Degree Programme in Applied Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences) (Autumn)
• MAREH4100 Cooperation in Treatment and Rehabilitation, 10 credits (Master’s Degree Programme in Rehabilitation, the Department of Physiotherapy) (Spring)

Elective specialised courses in other programmes and at other educational institutions both in Norway and abroad can also be approved on individual application as long as they meet the academic requirements of the master's programme.

Master’s thesis

Preparatory work to the master's thesis, namely the project outline, will take place in the course MAPS4310. The master’s thesis itself is worth 30 credits. The thesis should be based on relevant scientific literature, qualitative and/or quantitative empirical data that elucidate the issue the student(s) has/have developed themselves.

The master's thesis should have a clinical and/or organisational orientation, in which the focus is on mental health and mental health care. The student(s) can be affiliated with internal and external research environments and development projects in the field of mental health.

Opptakskrav til studiet er generell studiekompetanse og bestått opptaksprøve, jf. gjeldende forskrift om opptak til universiteter og høgskoler, fastsatt av departementet med hjemmel i universitets- og høgskolelovens § 3-6.

Søkere over 25 år som ikke kan dokumentere generell studiekompetanse, kan vurderes på grunnlag av realkompetanse. Egne kriterier for vurdering av realkompetanse er utarbeidet. Se høgskolens nettsider

Rangering av søkerne skjer på grunnlag av opptaksprøven; jf. gjeldende retningslinjer for opptaksprøve til treåring utdanning i produktdesign ved Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus.

The work and teaching methods shall facilitate the integration of knowledge, skills and competence and have the greatest possible transfer value to professional practice. Emphasis is therefore placed on using a variety of work methods and alternating between theoretical studies and practical training.

Teaching activities should stimulate active learning and engagement. A good learning outcome is dependent on the students' own effort, cooperation with fellow students and individual work.

Different types of digital technology are used in the programme to stimulate student-active learning and collaboration. Digital learning resources in the form of film clips, podcasts, academic texts, articles and interactive assignments are used in the programme.

The students will receive follow-up throughout the programme in the form of supervision and feedback. In some cases the students will assess each other’s work and provide feedback. Such feedback may be provided in writing, orally or as a combination of both.

More detailed descriptions of the most common work and teaching methods used in the programme are provided below.

LecturesLectures are mainly used to introduce new material and to provide an overview. The students are invited to engage in dialogue and discussion. Lectures are often used together with other teaching methods. Most lectures are held in Norwegian, but might also take place in English.

Study groupsThe students work with assignments under the supervision of the lecturer. Academic discussions and assignments are carried out and solved in cooperation with other students. Group work is intended to support the learning of subject matter and at the same time provide training in cooperation, interaction and communication skills.

SeminarsThe seminars will focus on student-active work methods. During the seminars, students will work on various topics and on developing their own relational competence and their competence to provide care. The seminars are intended to give the students an opportunity to practise presenting topics, develop critical thinking and provide constructive feedback. In some seminars, students will practise their relational skills through e.g. roleplay and exercises.

SupervisionThe students will attend supervision groups. Sessions will focus on sharing and reflecting on their experience from practical training. The students will work on integrating theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The students will work on integrating theoretical knowledge and relating it to the practice of mental health care.

Self-studyStudents are expected to also acquire knowledge through self-study. Students come to this programme with different preconditions for learning, and self-study enables them to prioritise topics and areas they want to focus more on. Self-study also helps to encourage independent activity and reflection.

Clinical training is part of the course MAPSDPRA10 Development and Practice of Interpersonal Competence and constitutes 20 credits. Two different forms of clinical training are part of the course (both forms of clinical training include compulsory groups and seminars with a supervisor from the university):

• The project-oriented training lasts approx. three weeks and will be supervised by a supervisor from the university.

The theme of project-oriented practice is the organisation of mental health services in an improvement perspective. The students work on the topic by carrying out a project where they gather knowledge and experience from a professional in a relevant field of practice.

• The clinical training takes place over eight weeks of 30 hours per week, 240 hours in total, and the student will be supervised by a clinical training supervisor and a supervisor from the university.

The student will develop concrete learning outcomes in collaboration with the clinical training supervisor. The student's learning objectives must be approved by the supervisor. The student shall be given a minimum of one hour's supervision from the clinical training supervisor per week.

The clinical training supervisor is responsible for guiding the student during the clinical training. The clinical training supervisor must have an advanced education within the field. The supervisor from the university is responsible for guiding the student during the project-oriented training and period of clinical training.

The clinical training will normally be carried out in places affiliated with OsloMet ¿ Oslo Metropolitan University through cooperation agreements. The student may apply to complete the clinical training elsewhere. If the application is granted, the students is responsible for covering any expenses relating to this. The clinical training cannot be completed in the students' own workplace, i.e. the student's own unit, ward or similar.

The course MASPDPRA10 concludes with a written assignment where theoretical knowledge is applied to challenges relating to the clinical training or other phenomena relating to the field of mental health care. 

Compulsory attendance at the clinical training.

Attendance in clinical training is compulsory.

• The student must attend at least 90 % of the scheduled time.
• The student will be allowed to make up for absence of between 10 and 20 per cent by agreement with the clinical training supervisor and the supervisor from the university
• If a student's absence exceeds 20%, he/she will fail the clinical training*
• The attendance requirement cannot be deviated from due to illness or for other reasons.

*If illness prevents the student from attending the clinical training so that their absence exceeds the permitted amount, the student is required to present a valid medical certificate for all days of absence in excess of 10% of the scheduled time in order for the absence to be deemed valid. The student's attempt at taking the clinical training will then not count.

If the student terminates a period of clinical training without a valid reason, for instance by leaving the programme, the course will be registered as failed and the student will have used one attempt. Students who fail the clinical training twice will normally have to leave the programme.

Assessment of the clinical trainingDuring the clinical training, students will be given a midway assessment and a final assessment where the student's performance is assessed in relation to the learning outcomes for the clinical training course MAPSDPRA10.

Clinical training is assessed as pass/fail by the clinical training supervisor and the supervisor at the university. Pursuant to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the university is responsible for the final assessment of the student.

Reference is also made to the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet ¿ Oslo Metropolitan University Chapter 8. Supervised clinical training. Number of attempts.

Introduction

The product design programme is a three-year profession-oriented programme. Candidates who complete the programme in accordance with the programme description will be awarded the degree Bachelor of Product Design.

The programme’s profile is characterised by interaction between materiality and concept development. The programme will prepare students for work on material-related, process-related and aesthetic issues from a global, cultural, user-oriented and market-oriented perspective.

We live in a time where the aesthetics of everyday physical and immaterial design is crucial. This makes design an increasingly important profession in more areas than previously. On the programme, the traditions of the design discipline are characterised by specific workshop-based testing of materials and processes relating to the development of products for a sustainable environment. Sensory experience also plays an important part in this context.

Product design is a field that has long emphasised both tradition and history, user orientation and functionality in relation to the present, demands in the market, sustainability and trends. The changes that have taken place in the discipline in the past years allow for the possibility to use the knowledge acquired in more immaterial fields of design such as service design and systems design.

The course is adapted to the premises of the profession while at the same time creating room for the students’ individual development and reflection on their own progress.

The programme is research-based; research and artistic development work form the basis for continuous development of the programme’s content and structure, involving both research fellows and students.

The programme qualifies students for admission to the master’s degree programme in product design.

Required coursework is all types of work and activities that are conditions for being permitted to take the exam. Coursework requirements in this programme are written assignments, oral presentations, compulsory attendance, supervision etc. Required coursework is carried out individually or in groups.

Compulsory attendance

Attendance is compulsory in areas where the student can acquire the same knowledge and skills through self-study. This means that it is compulsory to attend at least 80% of the seminars, study groups and academic supervision groups. For attendance during the clinical training, please refer to the chapter on clinical training.

If a student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, study group supervisor and person responsible for the course will consider whether it is possible to compensate for absence by meeting alternative requirements, for instance individual oral or written assignments. If it is not possible to compensate for absence, the student loses the right to take the exam and must re-take the course the following year. Whether or not it is possible to compensate for absence depends on the extent of the student's absence and which activities he/she has missed. It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of his/her own attendance.

Coursework requirements are set in order to promote the student's progress and development, and to ensure his/her participation where needed in order to acquire the intended learning outcomes. Coursework requirements are intended to contribute to in-depth knowledge and integration of the various knowledge areas and help the students to reflect on their own interpersonal skills. Coursework requirements are also meant to encourage students to seek out and acquire new knowledge.

Approval of written courswork requirementsThe required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. The students have two attempts at the written coursework requirements, with the option of applying to the person responsible for the course for a third attempt. Coursework which is not approved must be improved and approved before the student can take the exam. Coursework that is not approved might cause the student to fall behind in the programme.

The rules concerning cheating in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations and the Guidelines for Handling Cheating/Attempts at Cheating at OsloMet ¿ Oslo Metropolitan University also apply to coursework requirements.

The assessments are carried out in accordance with the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations, and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at the University. For assessment during the clinical training, please refer to the chapter on clinical training.

AssessmentThe grading system in use is pass/fail or a grade scale with letter grades from A to F, where A is the highest grade, E is the poorest pass grade and F is a fail. In connection with group exams, all students in the group are awarded the same grade.

Resit and rescheduled examsResit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description. In special cases, resit and rescheduled exams in courses with group exams may be held as individual exams.

Appeals against gradesGrades awarded for written exams can be appealed. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. In connection with a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidate(s) who submitted the appeal. The other students will keep their original grade.

The final assessment for each course and the title of the master's thesis will be entered on the master's degree diploma.

External programme supervisorAn external programme supervisor scheme exists for the programme. Over a two-year period, the external programme supervisor will carry out the following supervision of the programme:

• evaluate exam assignments and assessment criteria for grading in each selected course
• assess the connections between the programme description's learning outcome descriptions, teaching arrangements and types of assessment
• give the academic environment feedback and advice that can be used in the ongoing work on quality of education

The external supervisor will write an annual report on their work that will be included in the department's part of the university¿s quality assurance system.

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