Integrated Design (Bachelor of Arts) Technische Hochschule Köln - University of Applied Sciences

Most of the courses are held in English due to the high proportion of international students and international guest lecturers. All public presentations will be in English.

Several English language courses are offered.

The Bachelor's degree programme in “Integrated Design“ can be described as different, vibrant, and inspiring. It features a nationwide unique, non-linear, and trans-semester study model that offers a high level of individual design opportunities.

The study programme is characterised by an integrated, intercultural, and interdisciplinary environment in which theory and practice-oriented design processes are complemented by a range of experimental and research-oriented elements. Rather than by relaying a set of supposedly universal basics, knowledge and skills are approached and acquired based on their relevance in the projects chosen by the students. There is no fixed educational canon, but rather students are highly encouraged to set their own focus, deepen their knowledge autonomously, and determine which skills to acquire independently.

Study Courses

The Bachelor's degree programme Integrated Design offers two study courses to students at the end of their first year of study at KISD.

Course of Study in Transdisciplinary Design

In the course of study in Transdisciplinary Design, students work in multi-semester projects and seminars on complex design processes and acquire a broad knowledge of contents, working practices, and methodologies of design while developing extensive analytical, conceptual, and design specific competence, which they link with cross-cultural and international experience.

Self-initiated teaching and research projects allow them to develop their own interests and to set individual focal points. Supported by a mentoring programme, they learn to redefine and discuss their development as a designer again and again.

Course of Study in European Design

In the course of study in European Design, students spend the first four semesters of their studies at KISD. Afterwards, they study at two of the European MEDes partner universities. After these two years, students return to KISD to finish their Master’s theses.

The MEDes network encompasses seven European universities featuring an innovative and international design education. Besides KISD, these include: Aalto School of Art & Design (Helsinki, Finland), Glasgow School of Art (Glasgow, UK), ENSCI Les Ateliers (Paris, France), Konstfack (Stockholm, Sweden), Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy), and the University of Aveiro (Aveiro, Portugal).

• In the first week of April, a topic for an assignment is given, and the application deadline for all entries falls in the first week of May. 
• Students begin their studies in the winter semester following admission. 
• For details and exact dates, see https://kisd.de/en/application/.

Please check the "How to Apply" section of this programme for current application deadlines: https://www.th-koeln.de/en/academics/integrated-design-bachelors-program---how-to-apply_77431.php.

KISD studies are project-oriented and support a multi-semester collaboration, thus enabling students to learn with and from one another. In addition to the projects, seminars, lectures, courses, working groups, workshop introductions, and a mentoring programme complete the studies. Therefore, the study framework is only partly linear. Every semester students can choose from a wide range of courses. As a result, individual study pathways arise that support the student’s autonomy from the first semester onward. Orientation is provided by the following three temporal study phases: Discoveries, Connections, and Focus in our course of study in Transdisciplinary Design and Discoveries, Connections, and International in our course of study in European Design.

Discoveries: The first two semesters focus on knowledge and understanding of design as an area of thinking and acting that interpenetrates our reality and requires design specific contemplation. The students learn to apply typical design working methods and techniques, make contacts with other students and lecturers, and get familiar with the changeable roles of a designer while completing their project work.

Connections: In the third and fourth semester students experience Integrated Design as a field of theory, action, and drafting, which is dominated by connections between different areas of design as well as by the design process itself and other sciences. In formats such as the Intermediate Project, they learn to establish these connections themselves and draft their own practical focal points.

Focus: In the fifth semester, students of our course of study in Transdisciplinary Design go abroad and study at one of our 65 partner universities or alternatively set an international focus during their studies in Cologne. They gain new perspectives on their personal and professional career and set an individual focus which they further explore in their sixth semester at KISD by choosing optional courses, doing individual project work, and developing their Bachelor’s theses. This study phase enables students to shape their personal and professional profile and prepares them for starting their career or a Master's programme.

International: In the fifth semester, students of our course of study in European Design head to one of the MEDes partner universities. They gain new perspectives on their personal and professional career and set an individual focus, which they further explore in their sixth semester by developing their Bachelor’s theses.

Most of the courses are held in English. More than a third of all students are international students from around the world, and there is a constant exchange with our international partner universities.

Internships are highly recommended during the summer breaks.

No tuition fees

Approx. 335 EUR per semester

The semester fee includes the semester ticket for public transport throughout Germany.

The cost of living for your stay largely depends on your personal needs. When planning your stay, you should calculate monthly costs of approx. 1,000 – 1,200 EUR.

For admission to the Bachelor's degree programme you need:

1. A higher education entrance qualification (or an equally accepted qualification)
2. A six-month internship in a design-related field is required. Some apprenticeships or professional, design-related experiences may also be accepted. Decisions on whether an internship, training or a professional activity can be recognised is taken by the Admissions Committee.
3. Aptitude test comprising of the following:

• An assignment, which is evaluated by the Admissions Committee and is relevant for preselection
• Written work which is performed on site
• A comprehensive interview with the Admissions Committee

The evaluation is based on the following criteria:

• Creativity and commitment to the development and execution of the assignment as well as the on-site design-related task
• Quality of the previous engagement with design
• Perceptual and imaginative ability
• Openness to engage with previously unfamiliar subject matter
• Ability to engage in critical analysis and self-reflection
• Ability to grasp and present complex issues and problems
• Motivation and ability to work conceptually and creatively

Please note that application requirements may change. You will find the current application requirements in the “How to Apply” section of your degree programme as soon as the application deadlines for the semester for which you wish to apply have been published.

Your English language skills will be assessed in the aptitude test. You do not need an official language certificate. However, we expect you to have a good command of the English language.

Applicants who have not acquired their university entrance qualification at a German-speaking institution must prove they have sufficient knowledge of the German language, as is required for the programme. For the BA in Integrated Design, a CEFR score level of B1 is sufficient. This proof can be provided in the fourth semester.

• In the first week of April, a topic for an assignment is given, and the application deadline for all entries falls in the first week of May. 
• Students begin their studies in the winter semester following admission. 
• For details and exact dates, see https://kisd.de/en/application/.

Please check the "How to Apply" section of this programme for current application deadlines: https://www.th-koeln.de/en/academics/integrated-design-bachelors-program---how-to-apply_77431.php.

International students are eligible to apply for the "Deutschlandstipendium". The scholarship holders receive approx. 300 EUR per month for the duration of one year.

Taking on a part-time job while studying has lots of benefits. Students can earn some extra money and gain valuable professional experience, and they might even take a first step up on the career ladder. Gaining a first insight into the German corporate world is especially beneficial for international students.

Many students partially fund their studies at TH Köln by taking on a part-time job in or outside the university.

Being Germany's fourth largest city, Cologne is a highly attractive place to live. The increasing influx of people can make the search for adequate accommodation quite difficult. Dozens of apartment hunters often compete for one single apartment. This is why we strongly recommend that you start looking for a place to live as soon as possible.

Cologne's most convenient and economical housing option is often a student dormitory. A public student services association called "Kölner Studierendenwerk" (KSTW) operates 88 student dorms offering roughly 4,800 rooms. The seemingly large number of dorm rooms is misleading; as the dormitories are open to the roughly 90,000 students enrolled at all Cologne universities, they are in extremely high demand. Please be aware that TH Köln does not allocate the rooms in these dorms. Please apply directly to the KSTW: https://www.kstw.de/wohnen. You do not yet need a letter of admission in order to apply.

The fierce competition on the private housing market has resulted in above-market rents – particularly in proximity of the city centre. We therefore encourage you to be flexible. Try to look for apartments outside the centre or share an apartment – and the cost of rent – with other students: www.th-koeln.de/accommodation.

Technische Hochschule Köln – abbreviated as TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences – sees itself as a university of technology, arts, and sciences. With its disciplinary and cultural diversity and openness, TH Köln's activities are aimed at cultural and technological breakthroughs of high societal relevance. Thus, TH Köln contributes substantially to resolving social challenges. As a community of faculty and students, we see ourselves as a learning organisation forging new paths. For instance, TH Köln is one of the pioneers in the field of development and formation of concepts for higher education didactics.

Our subject range includes the fields of applied natural sciences, architecture and construction, information and communication, computer science, engineering, culture and society, and social sciences as well as business studies. More than 90 degree programmes are offered as full-time programmes or, in some cases, as career-integrated or part-time programmes. As a place where research-based learning and academic education take place, the university nurtures prospective scholars through cooperative dissertations. Annually, more than 4,700 students take up their studies at TH Köln. Overall, 21,000 students from about 120 different countries along with 440 professors and 2,000 staff members apply their potential.

Research mainly focuses on future-related issues, including climate change, energy supply, health, and food safety as well as demographic changes. While developing solution strategies for the most important questions of our time, researchers offer their professional expertise in interdisciplinary interaction. At the same time, they collaborate closely with local, national, and international cooperation partners, including 343 international institutions of higher education. The university offers its researchers an attractive sphere of activity. The quality seal "HR Excellence in Research" awarded by the European Commission certifies that TH Köln meets international standards in the field of human resources development.
TH Köln’s campuses are located in Cologne, Gummersbach, and Leverkusen.

Its metropolitan vibe, diverse student scene and a cityscape abounding with cultural and historical treasures make Cologne one of Europe's prime university cities. Cologne's origins date back to the Roman Empire more than 2,000 years ago. Today, Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city with a population of just over one million and has evolved as an economic and cultural metropolis at the heart of Europe. The city's characteristic landmark and source of pride for every inhabitant is without a doubt the magnificent Cologne Cathedral, locally known as the "Kölner Dom". Towering over the quaint Old Town of Cologne at 156 metres, this masterpiece of Gothic architecture is the world's third-highest cathedral and attracts around six million visitors a year, making it Germany's most popular tourist attraction. Visitors from all over the world are bound to feel at home immediately, as Cologne is a true melting pot of cultures. Close to one-fifth of its inhabitants have an international background. Cologne's economy is characterised by its amalgamation of different industries and trades. Home to the country's most influential television and radio stations, Cologne is unquestionably Germany's media capital and host to some of the continent's biggest trade fairs. Quite a few of the world's most renowned enterprises call the metropolitan region their home, in particular, corporations operating in the automobile industry, biotechnology and life sciences, chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as commerce and banking.

Please note that TH Köln also has two remote campuses outside Cologne, which are located in the towns of Gummersbach and Leverkusen.

Gummersbach is a town with 50,000 inhabitants located 55 km east of Cologne, surrounded by a hilly landscape which is a recreational area for residents from Cologne and other cities nearby. The campus can be reached in a few minutes from Gummersbach train station. A train ride to Cologne, which is the largest city in the region, takes one hour and ten minutes and will be covered by the semester ticket, which is included in the semester fee. Students will be able to find affordable accommodation in Gummersbach and focus on their studies in the great environment of a modern campus.

The Leverkusen campus is located 15 km north of Cologne in the Neue Bahnstadt Opladen and was opened in 2022. It is close to the CHEMPARK in Leverkusen, which is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. Global players from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, such as Bayer and LANXESS, are located there. With 160,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is a smaller industrial city that has plenty of opportunities for relaxation, thanks to its location in the foothills of the Bergisches Land region. In Leverkusen, you can find urban buzz and village-like tranquillity in close proximity. The campus can also be reached with TH Köln's semester ticket.