FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What is required to be a good designer?

It is difficult to provide a recipe of what is needed in order to be a good designer. An interest in both humans and technology, a sense for esthetics and creativity, and an ability to choose and reject alternative solutions are important factors..

Do I have to be creative and like drawing, or can I learn this during my studies?

Having talent and an interest in drawing and creative work is a great advantage. But the teaching in industrial design starts at a basic level that provides the opportunity to learn and develop skills which are important further on in the study program.

Where can I find more information about design?

A few web sites:
www.doga.no
www.nid.no
www.ixda.org

http://www.meetup.com/IXDATrondheim/

www.core77.com

Could you tell me a bit about what this programme deals with, the components and which courses that are taught?

• How does one work?
• Projects versus theory?

The Industrial Design programme leads up to an MSc in industrial design after 5 years. The programme is composed of courses from the advanced engineering programme and separate courses which are mainly aimed at industrial design. Basic courses such as Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Ex.Phil and engineering courses such as Mechatronics and Technology Management come from the engineering programme. These courses are common for most engineering programmes at NTNU. The department itself offers three basic courses in Aesthetics in the first two years, in addition to some other courses. After two years, students choose between a specialization in interaction design, or product design. Both specialisations have dedicated courses in the third and fourth year. The backbone of the programme are the project courses, called Design 1-9. In these course, the perspective on design gradually expands, from products to users and production, to systems, society and strategy.

If I understand correctly, the programme mainly focuses on the practical aspects. What place does the theoretical advanced engineering education have?

Many of the courses are research-based, on build on thorough theoretical understanding. At the same time, we put much weight on practical skills in design and teamwork. We like to say that we educate designers with knowledge, experience and personality: self-realisation as designer is very important. This also means that through the choice of projects and elective courses students have the opportunity to specialize; so that each student eventually obtains slightly different qualifications.

What is the labour market like, is it easy finding a job and what are my options?
 

So far, our candidates have not had any problems finding work, and  everyone has found relevant jobs, often before they are finished with their master thesis. Most of them are working directly with product development and design, either in industry firms (25%) or in design and consultancy offices (50%). Some also start their own company.

Career prospects
Some of our former students describe what it is like working as an industrial designer.

How much can a person with an MSc in Industrial Design expect to earn?

According to our latest labour market survey, the average pay the first year is slightly below that of the average advanced engineering pay (which is partly influenced by the relative high percentage of students that start their own company), but already in the course of the second year of employment the pay rises to the average pay for advanced engineers. See www.tekna.no for pay statistics.

What are the admission requirements for the Industrial Design programme?

You may find information about admission requirements for advanced engineering programmes here:

• Admission

Are there specific entrance requirements to be admitted to the programme, or is it enough with higher education entrance qualification?

Which scientific subjects do I need from upper comprehensive school?

You need higher education entrance qualification + specialization in mathematics and physics (R1+R2 and FY1 or corresponding qualifications).

How many students are admitted every year?

We have gone from admitting about 20-25 students each year a couple years ago, to about 35-40 students in 2015

Do girls get extra credits when applying for this programme?

No, on average we have an equal amount of male and female students. By mid 2014, we had 268 graduates, of which 134 (exactly 50%) were female.

How old are the students when starting on this programme?

The average age on this programme is 20-21 years. 40% are primary diploma students, i.e. they come straight from upper comprehensive school, and most of the others have already studied one year at NTNU or other universities.

Do I have to take Ex. phil and Ex. fac. before starting on this programme, or are these courses a part of the programme?

Ex. phil is part of the second year, but it is called a common course at NTNU. Ex. fac is not required.

If I get in somewhere else in Scandinavia, can I be transferred to NTNU later on?

From 2014 we offer a two year international master programme in industrial design. In practice means that students enroll in the 4^th year of our regular 5-year program. There are several industrial design (and related) programmes in Scandinavia and Western Europe that automatically qualify (with a Bachelor degree or the first three 3 years from an integrated 5 year program), provided that the average grade is B or higher

The Oslo School of Architecture and Design offers an industry designer programme. Is this programme very different from Industrial Design/Product Design at NTNU?

To a certain degree, yes. The Oslo School of Architecture and Design offers an industrial design programme, which has certainly overlap with our programme, but it focuses more on aesthetics and less on technology. «Industrial design», formerly known as «technical design», reflects the fact that upon completion, our students receive a Master of Science (MSc).