COOP Design Research Master of Science

COOP Design Research MSc / Application deadline: May 15, 2025 / Email: info@coopdesignresearch.de.

100 years ago, the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau. Exhibitions, artistic programs, conferences and festivals are planned under the motto "An die Substanz" (To the substance). The double anniversary stretches between the arrival of the Bauhauslers in Dessau in 1925 and the opening of the Bauhaus building on December 4, 1926.

Located in the historic Bauhaus building, the one-year English-language master’s program is an academic cooperation between the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and the Humboldt University of Berlin. Consisting of the three main modules Design as Research, Design as Education and Design as Projection, the course combines different formats of learning and teaching in order to initiate an exchange of disciplines, working methods and sectors. In the second semester, a master’s thesis is written, the range of topics of which contributes to international Bauhaus research. The program sees itself as both a preparatory step for a doctoral degree and as a theoretical enrichment for applied design research and practice.

The program strives to integrate design and research as a transdisciplinary field at the crossroads of material studies, social sciences, design anthropology, cultural studies, technology studies, architecture and design history, and theory. Coursework takes place both at Gropius’ Bauhaus in Dessau and Humboldt University in Berlin. The program engages with the Bauhaus’ legacy in design research.

The Bauhaus Dessau expressed a modern understanding of design that took a skeptical view of antiquated design traditions and substituted these with direct research into materials and the innovative potentials of technology and science. Since then, design has been perceived as a cooperative discipline that synthesizes diverse aspects of knowledge. The diversity of the teaching staff with their different academic backgrounds contributes to the multiple perspectives of the program. Professors and lecturers jointly run the courses from the associated institutions as well as by international guest lecturers.

The students’ experiences gained in previous studies and professional practice constitutes the basis for developing an approach towards design research led by critical reflection. Comprehensive introductions to methodologies of theory reading, academic writing, field research, and analysis are provided as tools for complementing both theoretical knowledge and practical reflexivity. It is not only about what is studied, but it is also about how the subject matter is learned: due to its interdisciplinary and transcultural structure, the program also promotes inclusion, diversity and critical thinking.

Throughout the program, students obtain academic knowledge and intellectual competencies to critically engage with the complex challenges designers face in the 21st century. In this respect, students acquire the ability to engage in an academic discourse, to theoretically penetrate phenomena of the material environment and to articulate themselves in writing.

The program focuses on developing the student’s understanding of a “Theoretical Framework,” which offers a forum for the analysis and discussion of epistemological concepts and practical knowledge. Further, it deals with the practical approach to preparing a research project with the necessary tools, techniques, software applications and work procedures.

This graduate program results in the degree of Master of Science and opens up professional perspectives in the fields of research and teaching of design, cultural studies, as well as curatorial practice. It can be conceived either as a preparatory step towards doctoral studies or as a theoretical enrichment for applied design research and practice. Moreover, the program fosters international cultural exchange and social engagement.

For any questions regarding the program or application procedures, please contact us by email:  info@coopdesignresearch.de.