Admissions
At this point we are still in the process of securing funding and determining curriculum and organisation for the next academic year, tentatively scheduled to start in September 2010. Therefore, our application process is not yet open.
The information below is intended to be a guide for when we announce the application process. If you would like be notified when this happens, please sign up to our mailing list.
Please do not send applications or letters of recommendation until the process is open - they will not be reviewed ahead of time.
Programme Overview
The Interaction Design Programme teaches students to apply technology to everyday life, through the design of software, products, and services. We believe in a hands-on and user-centered approach to interaction design.
Students learn the programming and electronics skills needed to work with technology as a design medium. They conduct user-research and experience prototyping to provide real-world grounding to their concepts. Frequent work in multi-disciplinary teams encourages peer-to-peer learning. A diverse selection of visiting faculty exposes students to a range of expertise.
The year-long programme is divided into three tiers: foundations, investigations, and the thesis.
The foundations are short workshops that provides students with the skills they need throughout the year. The investigations give students the opportunity to pursue in-depth projects around a particular design brief. The thesis provides students with an opportunity to explore an area of their choosing, combining design work with reflection and knowledge generation. Additionally, students will participate in innovation projects: collaborations with industry on briefs of mutual interest.
For more information, see the description of the course education and curriculum, as well as the gallery of student work.
What We Look For
As an education concerned with the broad potential of design and technology, the Interaction Design Programme is looking for a wide diversity of students. We welcome applicants from all over the world and from any background. You should be curious and creative; enthusiastic about design and working in a cross-disciplinary environment. Whether you’re currently studying or working, you should be interested in the connections between education and interaction design practice. We plan to have a class of approximately 20-25 students.
To apply for the Interaction Design Programme, you must have a prior university or college undergraduate degree (or equivalent experience) and submit an application and other supporting documentation. Qualified applications will be invited for a phone interview, after which we will make our final selections. Detailed application requirements follow; directions for submitting the required items appear in the application procedure section below.
Degree
Applicants are expected to have a prior college degree (typically a Bachelors) or equivalent experience. Your degree should be noted on your transcript, or you should include a description of your commensurate experience.
Application
You will need to complete the online application form. It includes basic personal information as well as the personal essay and an upload form for your portfolio and CV / résumé.
Personal Essay
The online application form includes a longer essay (approximately 750 words) about your interest in the programme. Please discuss your previous experience and future plans in the context of the interaction design programme. What do you hope to get out of your time in the programme? What can you contribute? Why are you interested in this particular programme?
Portfolio
All applications must include a portfolio of work. This need not consist of design projects, but should demonstrate your experience in your field, whatever form it takes (e.g. programming projects or written work). Be sure to indicate your specific role in the works described. Your portfolio may consist of digital or physical material, however, we are unable to return any physical items submitted.
CV / Résumé
Applications should include a CV / résumé. This needs to provide an overview of your educational and work experience, highlighting specific projects, accomplishments, interests, and experience of relevance to the programme.
Letters of Recommendation
Submit letters of recommendation from two people familiar with your academic or professional work. They should discuss your work, strengths, weaknesses, and overall ability. These letters should be sent directly from their writers to the interaction design programme, and will be kept confidential. Letters should follow the Recommendation Guidelines (PDF).
Transcripts
Submit official transcripts (originals, not photocopies) from all colleges and universities attended. If these are not in English, you must send certified translations in addition to the originals. Transcripts should include documentation of any degrees awarded. If they do not, send a certified copy of your diploma. Do not send the original of your diploma. No documents will be returned.
If your studies are still in progress, any offer of admission will be contingent on their successful completion.
English Proficiency
Candidates should be proficient in written and spoken English. To this end, all application materials must be personally completed by the candidate. Some candidates may be requested to submit additional writing samples as evidence of their English proficiency.
Interviews
We will conduct interviews (in English) of promising candidates. Because the programme will be small and in large measure shaped by the students, we feel it is important to get a more personal sense of the applicants than can be gleaned from static materials. All interviews will be conducted over the phone to avoid putting at a disadvantage those students unable to come to Copenhagen for an in-person interview. Following the interviews, offers of admission will be made to selected candidates.
Application Fee
No fees are required to apply for admission. However, a non-refundable deposit may be charged when an applicant accepts a place on the programme.
Students may be required to pay a tuition fee. However, financial aid (covering tuition, not living expenses) may be available. Until the funding structure of the programme is confirmed we do not have any further information. We will keep all applicants informed with any updates on this matter.
We will only process completed applications; partial submissions will not be evaluated. You may send admissions materials to us separately, but please be sure all items are clearly identified with your name. We must have received all items by the deadline listed below.
You must send the completed application to the interaction design programme at the address listed below. You may use a delivery or normal postal service. Any physical portfolio pieces should also be sent to the address below, but be aware that no items will be returned.
The following checklist can be used to be sure you have submitted all required materials:
- Completed online application
- Portfolio - to submit a digital portfolios see the instructions below. To submit a physical portfolio (print, prototypes, DVD, etc) use the admission address below. NOTE: no physical portfolio items will be returned.
- Resume - to submit see upload instructions below
- Letters of recommendation (two) - download Letter of Recommendation guidelines (PDF) or send the download link to writers. These letters should be sent to the admission address below
- Official transcripts of all college or university work
Resume / CV upload instructions:
- Ensure that your resume / CV is in pdf format (Word and other formats not accepted).
- Submit it using the relevant file upload field in the online application form.
Digital portfolio instructions:
- Create a zip archive of of your digital portfolio file (if submitting one). Make sure the archive is no bigger then 7MB. Please use standard formats (pdf, swf, pp, jpg) that do not require the use of any specific software packages. Submit it using the relevant file upload field in the online application.
- Alternatively, you may submit a URL for your online portfolio using the relevant field of the online application form.
Admissions email:
info@ciid.dkds.dk
Admissions address:
Interaction Design Programme
C/O Alie Rose
The Danish Design School / CIID
Strandboulevarden 47
Building G
DK-2100 Copenhagen
DENMARK
Schedule
Application Deadline
Will be announced when the application process is officially open.
Interviews
Interviews will probably take place throughout April and May. We will contact qualified candidates individually to schedule these phone interviews.
Acceptance
We will notify individual students of their acceptance into the programme throughout the interview process. Final decisions will be made by June 2010.
Waiting List
We may decide that there are more qualified applicants than places available. In that case, some applicants may be placed on a waiting list. If all accepted applicants do not enroll, applicants from the waiting list may be offered a place.
