Sustainable Design

Do you want to transform products and systems to achieve greater sustainability? Sustainable Design is a two-year master’s programme (120 ECTS credits) which focuses particular on design and development of sustainable solutions.

The challenge of sustainable design is to develop products and networks, which can transform systems of consumption and production to be more sustainable.

The master’s programme in Sustainable Design combines sustainable product design with tools from innovation theory, practice theory and user-oriented design. Visualisation and experimentation are important strategies to develop new innovative solutions, which can overcome system dependencies and achieve sustainable system transformation in various societal sectors.

You engage in challenging design-oriented problem solving in collaboration with NGO´s, companies, public institutions and professional groups. Perhaps you design and develop future relief tents, robot vacuum cleaners or bike airbags. You can also work with rehabilitation of older, energy-efficient mobility or waste systems in cities.

Job and career

Graduates may work in industry and public organizations to conceive, stage and carry out innovative processes leading to design and implementation of sustainable products, services and socio-material system solutions.

Graduates from the programme are expected to have many possible career paths, for example:

• Design Engineers who develop sustainable products or systems in a public or private company.
• Process Consultant who produce innovative processes
• Consultant
• Consulting engineer
• Self-employed entrepreneur

1st semester: Exploring design and innovation possibilities

The first semester focuses on exploring design and innovation possibilities in relation to the organisation, economics and market. You explore how design and innovation can be realised in organisations and on the market, with point of departure in a realistic problem definition.

2nd semester: Sustainability challenges

On this semester the focus is on sustainability challenges and how it is possible to face these challenges through a design approach.

3rd semester: Holistic design

On this semester you are given the opportunity to take a semester at another university, do a design project in an international context or do a research project. Please go to “Traineeship/Study abroad” for more information.

4th semester: Master’s thesis

In the final semester the main focus is on the writing of the master’s thesis. Students work individually or in small groups, under the guidance of supervisory staff.

You can apply for enrolment in the Master in Sustainable Design at Aalborg University Copenhagen if you have completed one of the Bachelor educations mentioned below:Design and Innovation (Technical University of Denmark)Integrated Design (University of Southern Denmark)Architecture and Design (Aalborg University)Sustainable Design (Aalborg University)You can also apply for enrolment if you have completed a similar Bachelor education at a Danish or foreign university. In this case your educational course will be evaluated individually. We emphasise that you have achieved qualifications within the following fields:scientific, technical and engineerical qualificationsqualifications within design and visualisationqualifications within the socio-technical fieldAdmissionThe Master in Sustainable Design has restricted admission. 40 student places are offered each September. The screening for the student intake takes place based on the following criteria (in prioritised order):1) Achieved qualifications within the following fields:- scientific, technical and engineerical qualifications- qualifications within design and visualisation- qualifications within the socio-technical fieldThe qualifications can be documented e.g. through courses or work experience in a technical development department, working with graphic design/web design or working with project development for green NGOs.2) Knowledge of the education and motivation for studying Sustainable Design at Aalborg University.3) Grade point average in a qualifying Bachelor education (alternatively with emphasis on the grades achieved at the application deadline if the qualifying exam has not been completed).4) Please note the official language requirements for international students applying to Aalborg University are:IELTS (academic test): 6.5TOEFL (paper-based): 550TOEFL (computer-based): 230TOEFL (internet-based): 80Cambridge ESOL: C1 English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 550 TOEFL iBT® test: 80