MA studies in Design

Students are expected to contribute towards development of their profession through innovative methods - primarily by way of one major, independent and experimental project. Two specialities are available: Furniture and Spatial Design/Interior Architecture, and Visual Communication.
   
The MA programme puts emphasis on personal in-depth studies and interdisciplinary cooperation during their MA project as well a joint project with their fellow students at Dept of Design. The programme aims at developing students' ability to think comprehensively and to address complex problems based on a broad and thorough understanding of design as method.
 
The Department strives to educate designers who, apply a comprehensive approach and who boldly, emphatically and skilfully develop formal and functional solutions for a rapidly changing environment. The MA programme in Design offers specialisations in Furniture and Spatial Design/Interior Architecture and Visual Communication.

Curriculum
The initial focus of the curriculum emphasises methodology, progresses with focus on the students' own MA project and concludes with courses in rhetoric and the transition to professional life.
 
All students share the same theoretical foundation, independent of their specialisation. Theory includes three main segments; communication, the market- and cultural skills, and methodology. The designer's role in society and identity are key elements in all segments.

Interdisciplinary programme
The interdisciplinary programme includes introductory courses, joint projects, workshops in e.g. concept, project management, writing and courses preparing the candidate for the future as professional designer. The MA programme in design also offers courses in specialities such as creative typography, universal design, colour, use of materials etc. These courses vary from one term to the other.

The programme intends to develop strategic and conceptual skills among students, strengthen their ability to work independently and to manage large-scale projects together with others. The Dept of Design expects its students to develop skills in empathy, communication and flexibility, and to create a basis for personal growth. These skills will enable the students to address complex situations in a rapidly changing world.
 
Personal progress and group cooperation
During the first term the Department's two specialities address similar issues. At the core is an interdisciplinary public project training for teamwork, development of concepts and ideas during an open process with external partners.
 
The personal focus of the MA programme is characterised and guided by the student's own definition of his/her role as designer, and also by how the individual contextualises his/her project.
 
The MA project is tutored. In addition the students are obliged to present their projects in plenary sessions, for peer and tutor feedback. These presentations are natural milestones in the project's progress. The MA projects intend to develop an ability and willingness to venture beyond design's borders, moving in the span between a user-oriented approach and experiments in surfaces and means.

The MA programme in design is a comprehensive, professional education.

MASTER PROJECTS

Morten Skjærpe Knarrum: Behind Bars in Vik
Future detention policy in Norway intends to provide rehabilitation for inmates. Currently detention is foremost a punishment, but can also be an opportunity for inmates to develop the skills and values necessary to seek
employment and become law-abiding citizens once they're released. All Norwegian inmates have mandatory work duties during detention, but these tasks - which may vary from scrubbing floors to making candles, bathtubs, or toys - have remained unchanged since the 1960s. If the duties of detained prisoners are intended to play a role in developing their skills and learning capacity, how can design benefit these inmates? Can the production of furniture in prisons stimulate dignity, perspective and pride among inmates?

For the project 'Bak murene i Vik' (Behind Bars in Vik) the artist Morten Skjærpe Knarrum designed furniture intended for production in prisons after holding a workshop with six inmates from Vik prison in Sogn. Using traditional techniques from cabinet-making, Knarrum's dining-room furniture designs are meant for an outside market. By reconnecting mandatory duties with real application, real use, his project aims to teach a profession and useful skills to inmates, improving their self-confidence and future prospects.

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Albert Cheng-Syun Tang: Extraordinary in Ordinary
How can design guide people to find the concealed value in the relationship with objects in everyday life?

Setting out to rediscover the extraordinary in the ordinary and to uncover the hidden value in the familiar objects of everyday life, Albert Cheng-Syun Tang's project proposes a new kind of diary: The Daily You. Appearing as a
simple mirror, Cheng-Syun Tang's design doubles as a recording device that snaps a single picture of its owner each and every day - doing so unobtrusively, catching them at their most natural and unaffected. Over the
years, The Daily You creates a series of unique portraits - snapshots of specific moments that accrue value and meaning with the passage of time.

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Both projects were displayed in Porto in summer 2012 at the NEU/NOW Festival: http://www.neunow.com/