WiT Programme

Study structure

On this page you find the structure of the WiT Programme 2024. The programme is designed to be a 5-month intensive entity so that people who already work in the professional field can find the opportunity to participate easier. During this intensive 5-month period, individuals have the opportunity to deeply engage with customized content designed for specific grassroots initiatives. Simultaneously, it allows organisations to get motivated people to work on their specific projects.
WiT Programme logo + structure

STRUCTURE OF AALTO WiT PROGRAMME 2024

  • Major studies (Otaniemi Camp): 14 Credits 

  • Field Work: 6 Credits 

  • Project Work (Incubation): 10 Credits 

1 credit = 27 working hours

WiT Programme Structure

1. MAJOR STUDIES - 14 credits

GENERAL CONTENT (obligatory for everyone):

CASE-SPECIFIC CONTENT (choose one track based on a selected case):

WiT Programme cases

Case studies 2025

Learn more about the provisional case studies for WiTProgramme 2025!

WiT Programme

2. FIELD WORK - 6 credits

The fieldwork is a 3-week international work-life experience with partnering organisations in low & middle income countries. During the fieldwork, the participants observe and collect data, and interact with communities and professionals from the field. Throughout the field trip, participants receive mentorship and are equipped to work in challenging transdisciplinary and intercultural situations.  

3. PROJECT WORK (incubation) - 10 credits

During project work, participants finalise their real-life case projects by synthesising theoretical learnings and practical experiences into tangible outcomes and channelling them into meaningful professional and personal development. This period also includes creating an individual portfolio, which serves as a dynamic showcase of each participant's development journey.  

TIMELINE

The programme starts in early January with a 2-month intensive “Otaniemi Camp”. This period includes a kick-off session with introduction and team building while partnering organisations will present their work and cases. During these months, we will focus on both the general and the case-specific content, according to the organisations’ needs. Before going into the fieldwork, the participants will design and finish a project plan.


For the rest of the period, the participants will be supported by mentoring sessions, and the collaboration with the organisations will be supported through coaching. The fieldwork is carried out in March, while April and May constitute the incubation period where the projects are being developed. The final projects will be presented during the final seminar at the end of May. The aim for each participant is continued collaboration with the organisation after receiving the diploma.

WiT Programme timeline

AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME

The aim of the Aalto WiT Programme is to provide participants with: 

  1. Knowledge, skills and personal capacities needed to apply and combine scientific methods and practices needed in demanding humanitarian environments; 
  2. Knowledge and skills to understand the problems and challenges of the humanitarian field from the point of view of social, technical, institutional and environmental systems; 
  3. Knowledge and skills to perform, both independently and collaboratively, demanding expert, development and management duties of the humanitarian field; 
  4. Interpersonal competencies needed for knowledge transfer in interdisciplinary teamwork and for international operations and cooperation. 

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

WiT Programme focuses on humanitarian architecture which is at the intersection of architecture, social sciences, art and design, engineering, business and technology. Aalto WiT Programme equips participants with strategic and practical knowledge and skills that are essential to work in the dynamic fields of humanitarian architecture, emergency response and sustainable development. The programme develops holistic understanding and capacities that are increasingly demanded and valued by a variety of international organisations, public and private sectors, NGOs and academic institutions that are active in the field.  

After completing the diploma programme, participants will be able to: 

  • Combine knowledge and practical experience in societal development in the humanitarian context, 
  • Acquire strategic and practical knowledge about methods, tools and procedures in multi-stakeholder environments,  
  • Utilise methods for planning, management, and implementation of projects in partnership with stakeholders, 
  • Communication and collaboration with stakeholders in identifying and responding to the needs of vulnerable communities, 
  • Gain capacities to enhance preparedness and resilience of societies amidst crises, 
  • Develop personal competencies in transdisciplinary and intercultural collaborations 

EDUCATION CONTENT

The key focus of the WiT Programme is advancing the resilience of human settlements in low & middle income countries. It aims to promote a holistic understanding of forces of change affecting our societies by bridging the gap between theory and practice by combining scientific methodologies with practical experience.  

The WiT Programme is structured to begin with the provision of general content.  The general content of the programme consists of modules in humanitarian architecture, decolonising sustainability, systems/resilience thinking, futures studies, and business modelling of social enterprise. The general content aims to establish a strong foundational understanding of the concepts, methods and principles that are essential for progressing further in the programme and enable students to make informed decisions about their specialisation or areas of interest as the programme unfolds. 

Through the studies, participants will be guided by mentors with experience from both practice and academia. In addition to mentoring, the programme includes coaching sessions to support the personal and professional development of the participants.  

Aalto WiT Programme teaching is advanced by applying new interdisciplinary theoretical and practice-based pedagogical methods, including problem-based and transformative learning approaches in real-life case studies. The case studies are designed in collaboration with partner organisations and communities globally. The participants will choose one of the parallel case-specific modules of either cultural heritage, humanitarian response, or sustainable built environment. The case-specific content allows the in-depth exploration of specialised theme.  

The WiT Programme facilitates participants to pursue a career in the humanitarian field by providing a possibility for international work-life experience with partnering organisations, which entails fieldwork and project development. During the fieldwork, the participants observe and collect data, and interact with communities and professionals from the field. Throughout this experience, the participants will be equipped to work in challenging transdisciplinary and intercultural situations.  

In the final stage of the programme, the participants move into the incubation period. The aim of this period is to finalise the project, synthesise theoretical learnings and practical experiences into tangible outcomes and channel them into meaningful professional and personal development. The incubation period also includes creating an individual portfolio, which serves as a dynamic showcase of each participant's development journey.   

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CONTACT

E-mail: [email protected]

Visiting Address: we reside in Väre, Otaniementie 14, 3th floor

Mailing Address: WiT LAB PO Box 31000 FI-00076 AALTO FINLAND 

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