Institution sheet

Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe

The Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design offers a full spectrum of undergraduate courses up to Master’s level (Diplom) in fine arts, design, art history, and philosophy.

The study program at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design is designed to be as flexible as possible. Students have the possibility to specialize in one of communication or product design, set design for stage or screen, exhibition and spatial design, art history, media theory, philosophy, and media art, which includes photography, sound, film, video, new media, and 3D-animation. Theory students may also continue on to doctoral and post-doctoral study in philosophy, art history or media theory.

Classes are small, to provide an intensive learning situation, with around 20 students per professor. Around 400 students make up the student body. Over 20% of students are foreign in origin. A network of international exchanges is possible with academies in the USA, Japan, Europe, and Australia.

The Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design enjoys a strong international reputation for the quality of its staff and facilities, and promotes extensive international relations with other avant-garde cultural institutions, beginning with sister institute ZKM | Center for Art and Media, and extending to European design firms, galleries, museums and theaters which work closely with the students in developing long-term projects.

Students are required to major and apply in one of the broader subject areas of media art, art history and media theory, communication design, product design, or exhibition and set design. Once accepted for study, students may specialize further within their given area, or work in an interdisciplinary way across subject boundaries. For example, a student may major in media theory with a minor in communication design, or attend classes in set design for screen and film as part of a media art program. All classes at the University of Arts and Design are open to students from each faculty. The default language of tuition is German. International and guest professors whose first language is not German hold classes in English.

The Diplom qualification is by default 9 semesters, or 4.5 years, and is comparable to completing a masters degree. The program is punctuated by two major exams, the Vordiplom and the final Diplom exams. The content of these varies according to faculty. Art history and media theory must pass a written exam followed by an interview with unprepared questions from different areas of theory. For art and design students, it is common to prepare an exhibition or submit a work that has been prepared over the course of one or two semesters.

Once a student at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, it is also possible to complement your studies with courses from the University Karlsruhe / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in areas such as sociology, architecture, and political science.

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