Visit the School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Information for visitors and guests
Department of Design
The Department of Design is a diverse community of competent, creative and responsible individuals. In design, we appreciate technical skill, social significance and artistic expression.
We educate front-line design professionals and visionaries for established, changing and emerging fields of design. We renew our expertise through high level research in continuous collaboration with our stakeholders. We strive towards a sustainable and just society and environment.
Studies at Department of Design
You can choose the Bachelor's degree major between Design, Fashion or Aalto Bachelor Prorgamme in Design. Master's studies can be conducted either in Collaborative and Industrial Design; Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design; or Contemporary Design programme. In addition, the Department provides two Aalto-level Master's programmes: International Design Business Management and Creative Sustainability.
A student focuses either in the Master's degree major or the field of the programme, and may take advantage of Aalto University’s wide range of multidisciplinary courses for the minors and freely selectable studies.
Studies leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor's Programme in Design
- Muoti, taiteen kandidaatti (only in Finnish and Swedish)
- Muotoilu, taiteen kandidaatti (only in Finnish and Swedish)
Studies leading to the degree of Master of Arts
Majors of the Master’s Programme in Design
Research
Our research is at the international forefront in sustainable design, practice-based design research, human-centered design and co-design. Our research environment enables and our culture encourages goal-oriented research, imaginative experiments, critical discussion, and transdisciplinary collaboration.
Go to Aalto Design Research Site
Research Groups
ENCORE - Engaging Co-design Research Group
The ENCORE research group explores constantly application fields for co-design through hands-on exploration and ambitious research. The visionary competence stems mostly from industrial design spiced with engineering, architecture and anthropology.
Empirica – Research on art, design and culture (external link)
Group approaches research with an attitude, where making, acting and engaging play important roles.
Fashion/Textile Futures
The Fashion/Textile Futures research group explores new perspectives on human-centered design research. The group approaches research in the field of fashion, clothing and textiles in multi-faceted ways.
INUSE - Researching Designer-User Relations in Sociotechnical Change
Researches designer-user relations in sociotechnical change.
Design Culture Research Group
Exploring the significance of design in contemporary society.
Collaborate with us
We offer our partners the opportunity to collaborate with international level designers and design researchers.
Gallery
The gallery of the Department of Design.
News
The Annual Review provided an overview of Aalto ARTS’ year 2024
The School of Arts, Design and Architecture's Annual Review on 12 March 2025 reflected on the results of the previous year and celebrated ARTS activities.
Aalto University’s art & design ranked 8th in the world
Six of Aalto’s fields placed in the top 100 in the prestigious QS ranking
Julia Lohmann’s seaweed installation and the ALUSTA pavilion to be exhibited in The Design Museum London
This summer, the Design Museum in London will stage a landmark exhibition on more-than-human design.
Radical creativity online course reached 10,000 registrants
By practicing creativity, you develop the skills and mindset needed to overcome obstacles and solve various challenges.Events
Making your computational research presentable, Apr 29, 2025
Learn to create presentable computational research with Aalto Research Software Engineers.
Discover and explore research data, May 15, 2025
Welcome to a webinar on data re-use and exploratory data visualisation.
Design for Responsible AI
In her talk, Vera Liao will reflect on the roles design can and should play in Responsible AI.Erasmus+ Staff Training Days 4.-6.6.2025 (external link)
Erasmus+ Staff Training Days bring together professionals from Aalto University partner institutions to get to know Aalto better, to network and to workshop on annually changing topics.Department management
Department of Design - Personnel
Aalto ARTS' Communications Guide
Easy access communication tools and help for everyone! This guide is updated according to the needs of ARTS members. Login (top right) to view all content. Some pages are internal, so they are only visible to logged-in ARTS members.
Aalto ARTS Handbook
Aalto ARTS Handbook/ communication guide
Visit the School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Information for guests
Where to find us
Väre
Otaniementie 14
School of Arts, Design and Architecture