Our bache­lor’s and master’s degree programs

Looking for design degree programs with a future? We offer four bache­lor’s degree programs and one master’s degree program. This makes the HfG Schwä­bisch Gmünd the only univer­sity of applied sciences that specia­lizes exclu­si­vely in design and crea­tion. This means that all labo­ra­to­ries and work­shops, the computer center, the libra­ries and the video and photo studio are geared to your needs in design studies.

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Bachelor

At HfG Schwä­bisch Gmünd, you can choose one of four bache­lor’s degree programs. All of them are specia­lized in the fields of design and crea­tion. Our main subject areas are health, educa­tion, energy, mobi­lity, commu­ni­ca­tion and culture.

The funda­men­tals deter­mine the special curri­cular model of the Hoch­schule für Gestal­tung Schwä­bisch Gmünd. They are essen­tial guaran­tors for perfor­mance and quality of the design studies.

The first three semes­ters are almost exclu­si­vely reserved for the funda­men­tals. They create a broad know­ledge and expe­ri­ence base of design prac­tical, theo­re­tical, scien­tific and tech­nical know­ledge and skills – inde­pen­dent of concrete appli­ca­tion requi­re­ments. The contents of the funda­men­tals in the curri­culum are linked across semes­ters and build on each other. The neces­sary prere­qui­sites are created for desi­gners to have a reliable reper­toire of methods, pheno­mena, tech­ni­ques and formal-aesthetic expe­ri­ences and to develop solu­tion compe­ten­cies for current and future design tasks. The funda­men­tals provide reliable constants for problem-solving secu­rity in the face of incre­asingly complex issues.

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Master

Stra­tegic Design or ​„SG“ for short: This is the combi­na­tion of design, manage­ment and rese­arch. This expands our scope of action. In the master’s program, we ques­tion a lot and observe even more.

Effec­tive design must be stra­tegic – problem-oriented, concept-driven and goal-oriented. In order to be able to iden­tify and analyze problems, scien­tific and economic know­ledge is neces­sary in addi­tion to design know­ledge. Anyone who wants to work in a mana­ge­rial posi­tion in the design industry today or survive as an inde­pen­dent desi­gner must be a prac­ti­tioner and stra­te­gist in one. In this context, design is unders­tood as design that pursues not only finan­cial success but also social progress towards an improved living situa­tion for people. In other words, it is a stra­tegic design that influences social deve­lo­p­ments and chal­lenges of the future. This requires know­ledge of cultural and social sciences. The master’s program at the HfG Schwä­bisch Gmünd imparts these skills.

Strategic Design