Top-up (Bachelor degree)

The bachelor's degree program in Design & Business is a 1½-year top-up program aimed at various industries within fashion, lifestyle, and communication.

Over three semesters, the students will learn to plan, lead, and execute complex analytical and creative tasks, combining relevant practice and theory. The core of all the specializations is the interdisciplinary focus on design, business, and technology, which together create value for companies, users, and society. This approach is designed to provide an understanding of value creation, products, and services in the 21st century.

Students will undertake an internship in a company to test their skills in practice and gain valuable work experience. Throughout the program, the students will develop concepts and/or products in collaboration with businesses.

Design & Business offers three specializations, all directed toward the fashion and lifestyle industries. Students must choose their specialization when applying for admission to the program.

Creative Branding focuses on both the strategic and creative aspects of the branding process. Students work on developing visual and verbal brand identities based on in-depth research and a strong strategic foundation, as well as activating the brand across channels and platforms. The goal is to provide students with a solid foundation for creating strong, relatable brands.

Hands-On Learning for Branding

The teaching combines real-world case collaborations, guest lectures, workshops, labs, and a hands-on approach to ensure that students acquire practical and industry-relevant methods, theories, and tools aligned with current demands.

Prerequisites

To succeed in the Creative Branding specialization, students should have basic skills in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and/or InDesign, as these are essential tools for the program. Additionally, students are expected to have an open mindset, creativity, team spirit, curiosity, and the determination to engage fully. The program is challenging but promises to be fun, educational, and filled with inspiring experiences.

As students in the Fashion Management specialization, they develop skills to collaborate with various stakeholders, both internally and externally, and across borders. Throughout the program, students learn to facilitate, implement, and rethink value creation within companies or organizations, including contributing to the triple bottom line. This equips students with the practical and theoretical ability to address professional challenges in the fashion and lifestyle industry.

Identifying Sustainable Partnerships and Materials

The knowledge students acquire enables them to identify and assess potential partnerships in the value chain, evaluate the quality of materials, and propose alternative, sustainable options.

Adapting Strategies with Market Insights and IT Tools

Students also learn to evaluate economic developments in key markets and adjust marketing strategies accordingly, using relevant IT tools and management systems. They will be able to communicate practical challenges and solutions to partners and users and apply various negotiation techniques.

Driving Sustainable Practices in Fashion and Lifestyle

After completing the program, students will be capable of participating in existing workflows or implementing new sustainable production and sourcing strategies within organizations in the fashion and lifestyle industry.

For future fashion designers, responsibility and sustainability will be foundational when creating design concepts and products. New digital technologies are part of the fashion industry’s development potential and will play a key role in ensuring a strong and sustainable future for the industry.

Skills in Design, Technology, and Communication

The fashion and lifestyle sector needs new profiles with skills in design, technology, and communication. These are the competencies students can gain in the Sustainable Fashion Tech specialization.

Innovating Tradition with Technology

Students are prepared to meet current and future demands through close collaboration with companies and users. Through teaching, research, and partnerships with businesses and organizations, students in Sustainable Fashion Tech develop experimental and innovative approaches, balancing tradition and innovation in the fashion industry. Craft techniques, new technologies, and digital 3D tools are integrated, enabling a rethinking of production methods and defining future design solutions and processes.

Storytelling Value Through Media

The program explores how communication can ensure product quality and create storytelling around value, process, and durability. Relevant media, such as fashion films, photos, and events, are utilized to convey these messages effectively.