Design as Inquiry: MA Industrial Design

How might design renegotiate dominant (value) systems and reimagine our material realities and futures through research, prototypes, and transformative experiences? 

The MA Industrial Design at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) is a space for critical makers with an open mindset who are eager to explore this question with us—creatives who wish to push beyond conventional and solution-driven design philosophies, expand industrial design from its own disciplinary boundaries, and meaningfully shape technological, ecological, and equitable futures.

In the MA Industrial Design programme, we believe that the most transformative work is generated in the spaces between experimentation and speculation, present and potential futures, designs that enable and those that envision. We aim to generate alternative ecological and social narratives that can adapt to the unrelenting pace of technological change. Our students design for complex realities through inclusive and optimistic approaches, driven by open exchange, curiosity, and collaboration. Each cohort synthesises a diverse range of backgrounds—from engineering and graphic design to industrial design and social sciences—and we are keen to continue broadening the perspectives that are redefining the current paradigm and future horizons of design.

As a student, you will spend two years immersed in a dynamic environment where experimental learning and collaborative sense-making are at the core. Across four semesters, you will deepen your practice and theoretical research toolkit through a range of independent and group projects. You will hone critical skills in rapid prototyping, transdisciplinary collaboration, and worldbuilding, guided by internal and external practitioners. You will explore your role as a designer in fields where they are yet to be consistently present or engaged with. With access to a wide range of workshops, technologies, and a dedicated atelier space, the mediums and methods to make are limitless. Collaborative modules with students from Design Trends & Identity, Interaction Design and other disciplines generate new tools for thinking, making, and presenting your work. Throughout your studies, you will engage with diverse design methodologies and theoretical frameworks, situating your work within broader design discourses. You will build a body of work that spans design for speculation and design for innovation. A diverse set of local and international partners are present to support your thesis, research interests, and professional ventures. Your insights will shape the programme itself, as course offerings are adapted each year to reflect current students’ practices, the evolving nature of design, and the world around us. By the end of your studies, you will have strengthened your existing design foundations and built a range of critical lenses through which to interact with the material world. 

We invite practitioners, thinkers, and makers who are driven to challenge disciplinary boundaries and imagine alternative realities for design to join us. If you’re ready to engage critically with complex systems and expand the scope of industrial design, we welcome your application.

For details on the course structure and entry requirements, visit our website. The info day will take place on November 21, 2025, at ZHdK Toni-Areal, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Zurich, followed by an online presentation on December 2, 2025. Subscribe to our newsletter for ongoing updates.