Major studies 111 credits, comprising compulsory courses in the major (101 credits) and the bachelor’s thesis and the seminar (10 credits).

Elective studies and minor subject max. 43 credits. As elective studies, students can take individual courses from other programmes at Aalto University or other Finnish Universities, participate in an international student exchange programme and/or do an internship. The minor subject may be produced by Aalto ARTS or another School at Aalto University. It may also be completed as a JOO (Flexible Study Rights Agreement) in another Finnish university.

General studies 26 credits, including art and theory studies, language and communication as well as common Aalto studies.

The curriculum for the major is structured to help students acquire knowledge and skills to design with both physical and digital media as well as a rich understanding of the role and functioning of design in society. The courses for the major are structured to simultaneously provide students with a scientific and theoretical foundation to reflect and analytically analyse their own work practices and those of others as well as the practical skills needed to address 21st century design challenges. Understanding – and being able to operate within – the broader societal and industrial context for design forms a foundational aspect of the curriculum in preparing students for a changing future and in developing their ability to work with others and impact the enviroment around them. The curriculum is accordingly designed to enable students to purposefully and expressively pursue their own interests as well as shape the content of projects and courses together with faculty. During the three years of study, students develop skills and knowledge to design in face of complexity and uncertainty as well as hands-on expertise to prototype ideas and materialize solutions in courses and studios. They learn to use contemporary tools, methods and processes for design as well as develop practices for acquiring new skills in the future. They also learn about design as a social, cultural and historical phenomenon as well as a subject for research. Building on the research in design and media at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, special emphasis is placed on the ability to work in teams and co-create with others to develop solutions that are more human-centred, societally relevant and environmentally conscious. Students are also encouraged to take part in academic research and trained to make more informed and responsible decisions as a designer by harnessing business acumen, new technologies and sustainable solutions.

Upon graduating from the major, students will be able to:

1. identify and generate interactive and speculative responses to future phenomena in society from a reflective design practitioner perspective.
2. recognize and apply emerging tools and practices for design, as well as participate in the construction of new ones.
3. create commercial, public and self-initiated proposals in relation to personal and societal values and evaluate and discuss the broader impact of their work.
4. plan, execute and organize their own professional practice within transdisciplinary conditions with a variety of stakeholders.
5. document their own work processes and results in both visual and textual form and contextualize it in relation to existing information sources and research.

General studies in the Bachelor's Programme in Design include art and theory studies, Aalto studies and language and communication studies. On general studies courses students study knowledge and skills that are common to all departments and students of Aalto ARTS.

Art and theory studies

General art and theory studies consist of three Contemporary Practice courses which form an entity that is compulsory in the Bachelor's Programme in Design.

Aalto studies

Aalto studies consist of Academic Learning Skills (2 cr) and of a cross-school course (3 cr). These studies develop student's goal-oriented learning and studying skills and help the student to orientate in the university community.

ARTS-A0113 Academic Learning Skills 2 cr

After completing the course, the student will be able to evaluate and develop his / her own learning, learning abilities and methods. During the course, the student will learn to set feasible goals and to plan and develop a personal study plan.

Cross-school course 3 cr

The student chooses a course (min. 3 cr) which is organized by another school at the university. This course can also be a University Wide Art Studies (UWAS) course. Here you can find some recommendations for suitable cross-school course.

Language and Communication Studies

• Language Studies 9 cr
• ARTS-A0112 Information and Communication Technology 2 cr
• ARTS-A0111 Information Literacy 1 cr

The language requirements in Foreign language: English for BA in Design students have been updated by Academic Committee for Arts, Design and Architecture on 2.2.2021.

The required language studies 12 credits depend on the student’s language of education

’Language of education’ refers to the language of the student’s education in comprehensive (grades 1–9) and upper secondary (grades 10–12) school in Finland, and is thus either Finnish or Swedish.

You can find the required language courses from the Language Centre's page.

Students educated in Finnish or Swedish

Students educated in other languages than Finnish or Swedish

For students who have been educated in a language other than Finnish or Swedish or who have been educated abroad the requirements are

^{*’Language of education’ refers to the language of the student’s education in comprehensive (grades 1–9) and upper secondary (grades 10–12) school in Finland, and is thus either Finnish or Swedish. The student’s language of education can also be defined by Finnish or Swedish as the second language in the Finnish matriculation examination if the student passes the examination with magna cum laude honours or higher.}

Students demonstrate proficiency in their language of education by writing a maturity essay in that language and taking any other related requisites specified in the degree requirements.  

Note:

• A student who completes the matriculation examination in Finnish or Swedish but whose comprehensive and upper secondary education was in some other language is not considered to have Finnish or Swedish as the language of education.
• Upper-secondary school Finnish or Swedish studies at an IB or EB school are not equivalent to studies in Finnish or Swedish as the language of education.
• Finnish studied as a mother tongue as part of the basic teaching of the German school in Finland does not qualify as equivalent to Finnish as the language of education.
• The language of education is not determined on the basis of a vocational degree.

Compulsory courses in the major, 1^st - 3^rd year of bachelor’s studies

A minor subject (minimum 18 credits) is a compulsory part of a bachelor's degree. The combined extent of the minor (18 cr) and the elective studies (max 25 cr) is max 43 cr. The students can also include two minors in their bachelor's degree.The minor is confirmed in the students personal study plan (PSP).

It is possible to choose a minor within Aalto University, from another Finnish university through the Flexible Study Right (JOO) agreement or from university abroad during a student exchange.

Here you can find listed all the minors 2022-2024 at Aalto University: Minors 2022-2024. 

The BA in Design programme does not offer elective studies. As elective studies you can choose  maximum 25 credits from other programmes.

As elective studies, students can take individual courses from other programmes at Aalto University or other Finnish Universities, participate in an international student exchange programme and/or do an internship. The minor subject may be produced by Aalto ARTS or another School at Aalto University. It may also be completed as a JOO (Flexible Study Rights Agreement) in another Finnish university.

Studies completed abroad during a student exchange can also be included in the elective studies category (exchange studies can also form an international minor).

Elective Art and Theory Studies

Transdisclipinary Arts Studies (TAS) offers a variety of art and theory courses which can be included in the elective studies.

Drawing and painting

Drawing and painting courses consist of two-dimensional expression carried out by various methods. The work involved emphasises the importance of practice, or ‘learning by doing’, but without losing sight of the connections to theory. The studies include working with drawing, painting and mixed-media. The student will gain increased awareness of the workings of visual perception and of different ways of describing the surrounding world and our relationship to it. The course also examines the role of ideas and concepts in art as well as art’s relation to design, its role in society and its significance.

Colour and perception

Colour and perception studies focus on visual perception and the theories about it. The English-language version of the course contains both theory and practical assignments. The course covers basic concepts about colour and the principles of colour perception. The course covers basic colour concepts and principles of colour perception. Colour composition and contrasts and their effects – mainly in two-dimensional expression – are studied by experimental means. The course ‘Colour-light-space’ is aimed mainly at Master’s students of architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture. Through lectures and assignments, it deals with the role of colour and lighting in architecture and in building a city’s image.

Sculpture

Sculpture studies provide students with the skills needed to work with contemporary sculpture and design. Skills that students can apply in their own fields are emphasised, such as how to research new materials, working methods and methodologies. The ‘Ways of Making’ courses offer practical experience working in a sculptor’s studio, and ‘Metal Casting’ introduces foundry techniques. ‘Digital Sculpture’ introduces new and developing technologies in 3D art, and ways to combine these with traditional sculptural techniques. Conceptual and theory-intensive sculpture studies are also included within the contemporary art courses programme.

Printmaking

Printmaking involves the handcrafting of printing plates as well as the prints produced by various methods (copperplate, woodblock, limestone, mesh screen). Prints are regarded as original artworks. Basic courses in printmaking offer the rudiments in a variety of printing techniques and develop the student’s command of the tools used. The intermediate courses deepen the knowledge and skill levels of students in their chosen method and enlarge their range of artistic expression. As printmaking is a specialisation study, beginners are recommended to take it during their second year of Bachelor’s studies.

Contemporary art

While the contemporary art courses are aimed at the Master’s level, Bachelor’s as well as Doctoral students may also attend or seek admission. Most of the courses are taught in English.

Art history and theory

Art history and theory courses aim to provide a general overview of the history and key theoretical questions and conceptions of art, design and architecture.

Digital Arts