Produktdesign

Product designers work in areas that are just as diverse as the world of things that surrounds us. They design products by hand, in series and increasingly in mixed forms, thanks to the digitalisation of design, planning and production.

In our project-oriented study programme, products and systems are conceived and designed to meet current needs and probe ever-growing possibilities. Our teaching centres on the individual or team-base exploration of open research topics. Students learn design through concrete, experimental and speculative projects by designing and developing independently or together.

This degree programme is taught by the following professors:

Study product design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

Produktdesign studieren an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

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Design fluently combines idea and design, theory and practice, material and production, analogue and digital, experiment and product.

The professorships in the Product Design degree programme offer new project topics each semester, for example in industrial and craft design, social interaction, digital design and manufacturing, transformation, circular and future-oriented design, strategy and branding. These projects are often interfaculty, interdisciplinary and are developed in collaboration with external stakeholders and interest groups. Students can also develop their own project topics in a free project format.

Excellently equipped workshops for wood, metal, plastics and ceramics, the infrastructure for digital production and the cross-year project study programme create a motivating community in which students strengthen and support each other

The degree programme Product Design offers the following courses:

Standard duration of programme	Deadline for application	Application
8 Semesters	31 March each year	How to apply

The design criteria have an aesthetic, semantic, symbolic, stylish, technical and material-related character. The design pieces are generally developed and created through research, conceptual consideration, free sensual investigation, sketches, experiments, material testing, digital design tools, presentations, models and patterns.

In addition to the product‘s aesthetics, understandability, necessity and attractiveness, product designers are also expected to consider related issues, e.g. sensible production methods, energy efficiency and resource conservation, and offer possible solutions.

Electronic technologies, in particular, which are firmly anchored in product design and manufacturing, require cooperative working methods and individuals who can reach a compromise without diminishing the quality of the final product. Product distribution, media-driven marketing activities, integration of products in material cycles and consumer behaviour are all fundamental components of design. The field of design must also respond to problems that the academic concept of art fails to resolve.

This pragmatic focus requires students to search, reflect, experiment, discuss and collaborate.

Following the prescribed duration of study of eight semesters, students obtain the »Bachelor of Arts« degree, the first-level certificate of professional qualification.

Application for the aptitude test in the undergraduate degree programme Product Design

The application for all degree programmes of the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is exclusively conducted digitally via the Bauhaus.CampusPortal. Please register for the aptitude test – new from 5 February – by 31 March at the best. The homework will be published at the beginning of April. Please upload your application, including all required documents and the completed homework assignment, by 30 April.

The aptitude test for the degree programme is divided into three parts:

Registration for participation in the aptitude test. We will send you a homework assignment with dates and details of the examination procedure at the beginning of April.
Upload of the homework solution, motivation letter explaining the desire to study in the degree programme on around one A4 page, your curriculum vitae with details of your education, previous knowledge if applicable and the most recently obtained school certificate as proof of the general higher education entrance qualification
practical examination, personal interview and presentation of up to 10 original design work samples which you please bring to the interview.

The aptitude test committee of the degree programme makes a preselection after reviewing the solution of the homework. Those who make it to the shortlist will be invited to the further aptitude test and take part in a personal interview, to which please bring up to 10 original design works. Further details on the aptitude test are regulated by the aptitude test regulations (Accessible document) (only available in German language).

Language requirements:
Please note that passing the aptitude test does not mean automatic admission to the degree programme. Please submit a current proof of language proficiency with your application documents, which shows that you will reach the required language level by the time of your matriculation at the latest.
Lessons are taught in German. You must provide proof of German language proficiency with one of the following or equivalent certificates:

DSH-2 (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang)
Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache - DaF (mininum 4xTDN 4)

Prerequisite for International Students are German language skills at the level C 1 (DSH-2 or TestDAF TDN 4). If you have any questions relating to certification, please contact the colleagues at the Office of Student and Academic Affairs: studium[at]uni-weimar.de

For further information visit the website of the Language Centre.

After Graduation: What’s Next?

The professional world is changing rapidly, and some career prospects that are relevant today did not exist just a few years ago – and new fields of activity are constantly emerging. The Product Design degree programme provides a practical, future-oriented education through its interdisciplinary project teaching in the Weimar Model. In addition to design and technical knowledge, the programme promotes critical thinking, problem-solving skills and a holistic perspective.

Our graduates work in a wide variety of fields in business, research and culture, including

Industrial design and product development
Sustainable design
Ergonomic design and human-centred design
Interior design
Transportation and vehicle design
Employment or self-employment in the creative industries
Design consulting
Design and innovation management
Design for medical products
Design of digital products
Exhibition design
Project-related work in the public sector
Transformative design
Research and teaching

These examples give an insight into the diverse career prospects opened up by the degree programme. As the world of work is constantly evolving, new professional fields are constantly emerging that require design expertise. Depending on their individual interests and specialisations, our graduates have numerous other opportunities to work in design and research - even in areas that we can perhaps only imagine today.

Standard duration of programme	Deadline for application	Application
2 Semesters	31 March each year	How to apply

Master's degree programme Product Design

The Master of Arts in Product Design provides students with the space and time to further develop and deepen their own design approach while positioning themselves in relation to present and future challenges. The programme fosters research, analysis, and the refinement of relevant professional contexts and interconnections.

The M.A.-programme follows the unique ‘Weimar Model’, which focusses mainly on the project as a central study unit. The project module is supported by history and theory seminars as well as workshops and specialist modules, which are largely oriented towards the project requirements. The programme serves the in-depth practical and theoretical exploration of specialised fields of enquiry, which are closely and individually supervised by the degree programme's teaching staff.

The programme allows students to choose from a wide range of topics including the areas of industrial design, design and management, emerging technologies and design, transformation design, design theory and design research. In addition, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exchange is encouraged, in particular through collaboration with other faculties, industry partners and external stakeholders.

In an atmosphere of togetherness and collaboration within the entire degree programme, projects are created on campus that foreshadow the students' own design practice. In an environment with a lively study culture and excellently equipped workshops, labs and studios, students are supported by the diverse professorships with their projects. They also have the opportunity to present their work in the Master’s Research Seminar (»Masterkolloquium«).

The prescribed period of study, which includes the completion of the master's thesis, is two semesters. Candidates may only enrol in this degree programme in the winter semester.

Application for the aptitude test in the Master's degree programme Product Design

The application for all degree programmes of the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is exclusively conducted digitally via the Bauhaus.CampusPortal. Registrations for the aptitude tests are possible from – attention NEW – 1 February of the year. Please complete your application by uploading all necessary documents by 31 March.

To apply for the aptitude test, please submit the following documents online via our Bauhaus.CampusPortal:

University-entrance diploma (Abitur)
Curriculum vitae
Letter of motivation (one page, DIN A4) explaining the desire to study and work and a focus of study
a portfolio containing samples of design work
Copy of the certificate from a university degree (Bachelor, Diploma or comparable degree)
Copy of proof of native-speaker proficiency in German (copy high school diploma (Abitur)
or
first professional qualification in a German-speaking country
or
Proof of language proficiency in the German language at level C 1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) by language certificates DSH-2 or TestDAF (4 x TDN 4) or equivalent
Copy of your identity card or passport
Passport photo (for your student ID card)

You will be invited to take the oral examination part of the aptitude test after the examination committee has evaluated your submitted samples (portfolio) and decided that you may proceed (pre-selection). You will be informed in writing of the result of the aptitude test no later than four weeks after the test has been completed. Further details on the aptitude test are regulated by the aptitude test regulations (only available in German language).

Language requirements:
Please note that passing the aptitude test does not mean automatic admission to the degree programme. Please submit a current proof of language proficiency with your application documents, which shows that you will reach the required language level by the time of your matriculation at the latest.
Lessons are taught in German. You must provide proof of German language proficiency. Prerequisite for International Students are German language skills at the level C 1 (DSH-2 or TestDAF TDN 4).
If you have any questions relating to certification, please contact the colleagues at the Office of Student and Academic Affairs: studium[at]uni-weimar.de

For further information visit the website of the Language Centre.

After Graduation: What’s Next?

The professional world is changing rapidly, and some career prospects that are relevant today did not exist just a few years ago – and new fields of activity are constantly emerging. The Product Design degree programme provides a practical, future-oriented education through its interdisciplinary project teaching in the Weimar Model. In addition to design and technical knowledge, the programme promotes critical thinking, problem-solving skills and a holistic perspective.

Our graduates work in a wide variety of fields in business, research and culture, including

Industrial design and product development
Sustainable design
Ergonomic design and human-centred design
Interior design
Transportation and vehicle design
Employment or self-employment in the creative industries
Design consulting
Design and innovation management
Design for medical products
Design of digital products
Exhibition design
Project-related work in the public sector
Transformative design
Research and teaching

These examples give an insight into the diverse career prospects opened up by the degree programme. As the world of work is constantly evolving, new professional fields are constantly emerging that require design expertise. Depending on their individual interests and specialisations, our graduates have numerous other opportunities to work in design and research - even in areas that we can perhaps only imagine today.

After Graduation: What’s Next?

The professional world is changing rapidly, and some career prospects that are relevant today did not exist just a few years ago – and new fields of activity are constantly emerging. The Product Design degree programme provides a practical, future-oriented education through its interdisciplinary project teaching in the Weimar Model. In addition to design and technical knowledge, the programme promotes critical thinking, problem-solving skills and a holistic perspective.

Our graduates work in a wide variety of fields in business, research and culture, including

Industrial design and product development
Sustainable design
Ergonomic design and human-centred design
Interior design
Transportation and vehicle design
Employment or self-employment in the creative industries
Design consulting
Design and innovation management
Design for medical products
Design of digital products
Exhibition design
Project-related work in the public sector
Transformative design
Research and teaching

These examples give an insight into the diverse career prospects opened up by the degree programme. As the world of work is constantly evolving, new professional fields are constantly emerging that require design expertise. Depending on their individual interests and specialisations, our graduates have numerous other opportunities to work in design and research - even in areas that we can perhaps only imagine today.