Industrial Design

To complete the Master’s programme students must pass all the courses on the curriculum and submit a report about their internship. To be admitted to the Master’s exam students undergo a preliminary examination at which the printed Master’s thesis must be submitted. Here the Master’s thesis is checked to ensure it complies with the formal criteria.

Graduates are awarded the academic degree “Master of Arts in Arts and Design” (MA).

The Master’s thesis involves producing a real model, the documentation of the Master’s thesis and the Master’s examination. The documentation of the Master’s thesis consists of two parts and is presented in A3 format. It is divided into two sections, research and analysis (first part) and project documentation (second part).

Research and analysis covers the statement of the problem, historical background, market analyses, definition of the target groups, mood boards and storyboards, personas and scenarios, briefing and a bibliography and table of figures.

The second part of the Master’s thesis documents the work process in the form of concepts, variants and selection decisions. This section contains a comprehensive presentation of the object produced with detailed drawings and representations (in 2D and 3D) and a description of the project, examining the ideas, the technical functions and the product language. This is supplemented by a graphic documentation in the form of renderings and photo montages showing the product in its environment.

The Master’s thesis is usually the work of one individual student.

• After submitting their Master’s thesis and receiving a positive assessment, students are allowed to take the Master’s examination. The candidates must be approved by the examination board or head of degree programme.

• The Master’s examination is held at the end of the fourth semester and students can choose between two dates.

• The Master’s examination is a public oral examination. Students are required to give a 30-minute presentation and defend their Master’s thesis, optionally in English.

• Students are then examined on an aspect of the subject group “technical / design interaction” or on the entire content of the degree programme.

• The examination board consists of the chairperson, the thesis supervisors and, in the case of cooperative projects, supervisors from the relevant industrial partner.

The best Master’s theses are showcased at the annual Industrial Design Show, which usually takes place at the designforum Steiermark or the MuseumsQuartier Wien. This gives students an opportunity to present their Master’s theses to start-up representatives, successful companies and freelance designers.

Close cooperation with our partners in business and industry gives many of our graduates the opportunity to kick-start their career. Lectures in subjects such as Design Management provide our students with everything they need to know to establish their own design office or start-up.