Design and Engineering
Degree awarded: Master of Science in Engineering (MSc)
Workload: 120 ECTS
Language of instruction: English
Duration: 2 years
Pre-Requisites: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in technology or design (B.Sc in (Mechanical) Engineering or BA in Industrial or Product Design). Work experience is recommended. In the case of strong professional experience in product development or design, exceptions in the candidate's background can be allowed.
Tuition fees and scholarships: 1 ECTS = 55 EUR. Nominal study load per 1 year = 60 ECTS/€3300, 9 tuition fee waiver scholarships available that guarantee free studies. Detailed information about the scholarship is available here
Number of places available: 12
www.design-engineering.ee
An emphasis on product and process technology alone is seen as insufficient for business success. Technological competence needs to be combined with a deep understanding of users, the social and cultural context of use, as well as the utilisation of design in the creation of meaningful and sustainable solutions.
The Design and Engineering multi-disciplinary programme is created with the purpose of combining the rigor of technical development and the honing of engineering competence with the creative, inspirational and communicative power of design. Besides the two core study areas of design and engineering, students will get a firm understanding of the contemporary entrepreneurial world.
With a business and entrepreneurship mind-set, the programme is founded upon the synergies and benefits gained through the integration of Art, Design and Science.
- There are special studio rooms dedicated to product development courses where students have access 24/7. Additionally the facilities in Mektory, including wood and metal workshops that are open to our students throughout their studies.
- The core of the course is formed around Design Studio development projects run in multidisciplinary teams and with industry partners
- The programme offers a joint degree from two respected universities in Estonia: Tallinn Tech and the Estonian Academy of Arts
Profiles of the graduates:
- product development professionals who are able to work in a wide scope of creative integrated development teams, able to tie the technological possibilities of industry with possibilities found on the market, able to compose technology- design- and user centred studies, create and develop new product solutions;
- product development managers who are able to lead creative product development teams integrating design and technology with company visions and master skills to bring new products onto the market;
- entrepreneurs who are able to create, develop and bring to market innovative and technologically demanding product systems based on unnoticed possibilities in the market and unmet needs of the users.
The graduates are competent to continue their studies for PhD.
Master's Programme in Design and Engineering has been established by two Estonian leading Educational Centers of Excellence: Tallinn University of Technology and Estonian Academy of Arts, in order to meet current demands in cross-disciplinary professionals.
The aim of the curriculum is to combine the basic competences of engineers and designers to develop the framework for a strong interdisciplinary cooperation. During two years of joint studies a firm base in design and engineering theories will be built and a whole set of professional skills of both disciplines will be developed. Besides the two core study areas of design and engineering students will get a firm understanding of contemporary entrepreneurial world. The core of the course is formed around development projects run in multidisciplinary teams and industry partners.
The aim of the programme is following:
- to provide engineers with wider understanding of creative product development making them acquainted and aware of the role of design in it;
- to provide designers with deeper understanding of technology to give knowledge how to join technology innovation with design process.
Graduates of this Master’s programme will be able to work in a wide scope of creative integrated development teams both as development professionals as well as managers. They will also acquire entrepreneurial skills being able to create technologically demanding product systems and bring them to the market in order to meet the demand of unsatisfied users.
Please pay attention as this programme you are applying for, has specific prerequisites:
- Bachelor’s degree in technology or design.
- Motivation letter/statement of purpose.
- Results of BSc studies for engineers and online test in field knowledge.
- Portfolio of BA studies for designers.
- Skype interview- will be conducted to candidates who have passed preliminary evaluation.
*Work experience is recommended.
Motivation letter/statement of purpose
For each programme you apply to, an individual motivation letter (statement of purpose) must be inserted.
Please include following:
- Well-considered reasons for the choice of the speciality and description of the vision for your career and how will studying in the study programme Design & Engineering support achievement of the goals.
- A substantially reasoned vision of the developments of design and engineering and your role in the developments.
- Comprehensive analysis of your strengths and contribution to multicultural and multidisciplinary team projects.
We evaluate the applicant's motivation and critical thinking skills, well-founded connection between the applicant's career choice and the study programme Design and Engineering, as well as understanding of the developments in the field.
The positive grading scale is from 5 to 10 points.
PS! It is important to properly cite any sources (quotations, publications, ideas which are not your own etc.) used in your motivation letter, because to do otherwise would be plagiarism and result in disqualification.
For general admission requirements please visit the Admissions section.
Candidates with designers background- portfolio
A portfolio should give an overview of the applicant's professional capabilities and should include the best examples of his/her designs and other creative work. You do not need to include classical paintings and drawings in the portfolio, but you should include development sketches, engineering designs, photos of the models or finished products, developments related to modern technology (e.g. user interfaces, apps, service design projects, etc.). We will evaluate the quality of the designs submitted and the portfolio as a whole.
The positive grading scale is from 5 to 10 points, which can be obtained for a portfolio containing at least 5 different projects in the field.
Candidates with engineering background- online test in field knowledge
Online test takes place in the system called Moodle. The test itself is 7 minutes long and can be taken only once.
- CAD systems are used for ...
- What are the strongest points of paramatric modelling ?
- What are the main functions of CAM systems ?
- What kind of information systems are used in area of manufacturing engineering ?
- Who benefits from product development ?
- What are main advantages of numerical controlled (NC) machining ?
- Quality management is used for ...
- Product development is a process which includes the following steps ...
- What is the role of engineers in product development processes ?
- Why customer requirements managemnt is important ?
The candidate must collect at least 7 points to be in the competition.
Skype interview
An applicant must be attentive, have analytical skills and be interested in the profession and the world in all its diversity. We evaluate the skill to substantiate the choice of the speciality and to connect it with your professional career, your motivation and ability to discuss the trends and issues in the field. We evaluate communication skills, creativity and critical thinking, motivation to pass the selected study programme and to continue with the professional career, the ability to collaborate and to contribute to multicultural and multidisciplinary teamwork (creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration).
The positive grading scale is from 5 to 10 points.
Fees
The yearly fee for a typical student is calculated based on 60 ECTS per year (full study load). The following is an estimation based on 2017/2018 fees:
- 1 ECTS is 55 EUR
- first study year is 3300 EUR
Waiver
A tuition fee waiver is a non-monetary scholarship granted automatically to the best ranked candidates, according to the points earned in the course of admission. There is no separate application required. Decisions are made based on the Dreamapply application. Scholarship is awarded for the whole study period. Recipients of the scholarships are required to study full-time, i.e. with the workload of at least 60 ECTS per year. If the student starts studying part-time, he/she will lose the tuition fee waiver and will start paying for studies.
Scholarship
For scholarship options please check www.ttu.ee/scholarships.
Head of the Curriculum
Professor Martin Pärn
e-mail: martin dot parn at ttu dot ee
phone: (+372) 620 3250
address: Ehitajate tee 5
room: VI 404
"Design and Engineering is a truly interesting but also challenging course. As it’s a joint programme of TTÜ and Estonian Academy of Arts, you will get to study and work with lecturers from both engineering and design faculties. As a designer, I really value that this programme helped me to understand engineers better and gave me a deeper understanding of technologies, thanks in particular to the many group works and projects we had to do, which created a lot of synergy. I was also given the opportunity to study as an exchange student at the partner university of TTÜ in Barcelona, which broadened my experiences even more."
Tinatin Dzirkvadze, Georgia
Student of the Design and Engineering programme