Design permeates our everyday lives. No matter what people do, they are always accompanied by products: whether technical devices, industrial products, furniture, clothing, accessories, analogue and digital spaces, or entire systems, design is omnipresent and often responsible for how people structure their everyday lives, maintain social relationships, and assign value to experiences.

Against this backdrop, the profession of designer has become a complex field of activity. Whereas in the past, the design of everyday objects was primarily a matter of tradition, today it is considered a cultural technique that requires a wide range of skills. Creativity and craftsmanship are combined with broad knowledge of materials, technologies, manufacturing processes and aesthetic developments, as well as a critical understanding of social and political conditions.

The Design (B.A.) programme at the Kunsthochschule Kassel integrates all these areas. In projects and seminars, students learn how to design objects, test them in prototypes and finally bring them to fruition.

Another unique feature is the individual consultations, which enable intensive one-to-one supervision and direct exchange with the teaching staff. Students work closely with professors and staff members of the programme and have access to a wide variety of specialised workshops – from ceramics and paper to wood and metal to digital processes.

Another special feature in Kassel are the student workrooms, where students learn together in daily exchanges and where personal encounters with fellow students create an active learning and working community.

An endowed professorship on the work of Lucius Burckhardt and an honorary professorship in design management, which teaches strategic brand management, corporate identity and change processes from business practice, complete the range of courses on offer.

The programme in Kassel pursues an integrative approach: in addition to developing and refining practical design skills, it focuses on developing personalities who know how to contribute to society through creative work.

In addition to design practice, the programme provides a sound theoretical reflection on design and places design in cultural, social and political contexts using approaches from aesthetic theory, cultural and art studies, sociology and philosophy.

The field of sustainable product design is anchored in the programme and linked to the Kassel Institute for Sustainability (KIS). This gives students direct insight into current topics in interdisciplinary sustainability research.

The close connection to professional practice is another central feature of the Design programme in Kassel: students are specifically supported through projects and collaborations with manufacturers such as Thonet, HEWI, Marburger Tapeten and Fidlock, as well as through participation in national and international design competitions. In addition, a practical semester is firmly integrated into the curriculum: before graduation, students complete an internship of at least three months or a practical project with an accompanying practical colloquium. In doing so, they transfer their academic knowledge to real-world work contexts, reflect on their role and sharpen their professional and career goals.

At a glance

• Degree: B.A.
• Start of programme: Winter semester.
• Standard period of study: 8 semesters.

Formal admission requirements

• General higher education entrance qualification 
• Technical college entrance qualification
• Studying without a high school diploma

An overview of the various degrees and their differences can be found on the information page "Admission requirements" of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art.