Master in Interaction Design

Interaction design concerns the design of digital artifacts and digitally mediated communication, with a focus on user experience.

Interaction design is a rapidly changing discipline, and we maintain the relevance of our education by working with real-world design cases and external clients including local industry partners and cultural and civic organizations. Navigating a shifting design landscape also requires the critical mindset of a scholar, and we foster reflective design by teaching research skills and involving students in active research projects.

The Interaction Design master’s program at Malmö University was founded in 1998, making it one of the most established English-language design programs in the Nordic region. The program provides a learning experience that is grounded in Scandinavian design traditions while simultaneously embracing transformations within the vibrant, international, and interdisciplinary field of interaction design. Students who complete the degree will have a Master of Science in Interaction Design (two-year, 120 credits).

The two-year program trains students to respond to unprecedented societal needs and professional challenges, teaching the practical, theoretical, and critical skills necessary for designing relations between humans and technologies. With small classes of individuals from all over the world, students will become part of an interdisciplinary group exploring how interaction design methods and approaches can respond to the complex times in which we live.

The program starts with new students every autumn semester. Students enter the program with different kinds of expertise, from art and design to engineering and social sciences. Upon graduation, they will have built a strong understanding of how their particular skills can be applied to interaction design and how these merge with the specialties of their fellow designers. Students will be ideally situated to work in industry, the public sector, or as researchers.

What makes the program unique?

This master’s program emphasizes both studio-based design practices and theoretical engagement with the issues at the heart of design processes. Navigating a shifting design landscape requires agility in concept development and prototyping, as well as the critical mindset of a scholar. This is achieved by structuring the education around courses that require both collaborative group projects and individual writing. Each year ends with a self-directed thesis project, comprising both practical design work and a written thesis.

Course content includes participatory design and social innovation; tangible and sensor-based interactions; relational and embodied interactions; design-based research; and design theory. Students will work with real-world design cases and external stakeholders, including local industry partners and cultural and civic organizations. They will experiment with a range of design materials: from digital to analog, organic to inorganic, electronic to imaginary, and social to bodily.

Courses are taught by faculty members with active research and professional profiles. The real-world relevance of interaction design is not far removed from teaching, as students are frequently involved in ongoing research projects, many of which emphasize the social, political, and ethical consequences of design.

Why study at Malmö University?

If you are interested in how designed artifacts, systems, relations, and infrastructures can shape our world, and what we might do with them as designers and fellow human beings, bring your background in design, computer science, community development, arts, humanities, or social sciences to work with others to make the vision of fair, caring and sustainable futures a reality.

Graduates can choose to direct their careers within a range of industries, including the political sector, or transition to academic/professional research. This program is consistent with Malmö University’s vision of integrating academic learning with social change; creating powerful ties between teaching, research, and society at large. The program aims to provide the tools, techniques, and conceptual basis to enact change in the world, not just for the next few years, but for the next 50.

Malmö University strives to be part of society at every level. Whether that is regional, nationally or globally, its focus is making the world a better and fairer place.

We have a mission to be an active hub for research, education and innovation. Our research is often multidisciplinary and pursued in collaboration with partners from outside of the university.

Why choose Malmö University?

Malmö University is...

Collaborative

Offers high-quality education where teachers and students work closely together, and undergraduates are seen as important contributors to the learning process.

Entrepreneurial

Promotes an entrepreneurial and innovative learning environment that influences and is influenced by the education and research at Malmö University.

Multidisciplinary

Boasts multidisciplinary programmes whereby students learn from different faculties, crucially important in an increasingly complex job market.

Diverse

Truly international classrooms where around a third of students have an international background – invaluable for students who are looking for a global career.

Big, but not too big!

The ninth largest higher educational institution in Sweden, with 24,000 students.

Global

Students have the opportunity to study abroad. We have agreements with approximately 250 universities around the world.

Convenient

Copenhagen international airport Kastrup (Denmark) is only 20 minutes away by train, and Copenhagen city 30 minutes away. Network links from here can take you by train throughout Europe and by plane, anywhere in the world!