The Visual Communication Institute HGK FHNW, in Basel offers internationally accredited curricula on the Bachelor, Master and PhD level reflecting the rich tradition of the Basel School of Design in particular and Swiss Graphic Design in general. The City of Basel, located in the tri-national Rhine river valley, is a unique cultural environment with easy access to France and Germany. While our Bachelor course focuses on the students’ ability to conduct a creative process, our Master programs strive to extend the students’ individual design vocabulary and to reach a higher level of reflection through the students’ ability to include knowledge and methodologies of scientific disciplines into the creative process. We offer a Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research and an International Master of Design, which we conduct in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Both Master programs are based on the following assessment: In the context of the digital flood of images, expanded qualifications are required. A design practice based purely on craftsmanship or technical skills no longer meets the demands of visual communication, nor does a reflection on visual messages entirely derived from theory. Connecting design practice with iconic- and media theory, generates new qualifications in the conception and design of visual messages for the context of a current, digitalized, iconic communication.

International Master of Design UIC/HGK Basel
The MDes UIC/HGK addresses students who want to be part of an international program influenced by the tradition of Swiss Graphic Design and the current academic perspective and standards of the Visual Communication Institute, The Basel School of Design HGK FHNW. Of special interest for students is the opportunity to graduate with an internationally accredited Master of Design (MDes) from UIC and the Swiss equivalent, MAS in Graphic Design I – Iconicism and Graphic Design II – Mediality from the HGK FHNW. Students are matriculated and registered at UIC with all classes being held at the FHNW/HGK Visual Communication Institute in Basel. Graphic Design, Visual Communication and Media Design, give visual form to messages, in a context of global communication, that become a part of our everyday lives. Although these disciplines contribute to the much discussed "image flood" in today’s societies, we find implicit knowledge about the meaning of images, the process of creating them and their media references of extreme importance. It is on this central theme that the MDes is focused. Therefore, the goal of the program is the deepening of process-oriented design skills through project and practice oriented design work with enhanced analytical competence in image theory and the media sciences.

Key Issues
The international partnership between UIC and the HGK Basel generates a variety of opportunities for the participants of the program, such as international internships, studying in a foreign cultural environment, and an international group of around 10 highly qualified students. The unique methodology of The Basel School of Design, its tradition and its focus make the MDes program an extraordinary opportunity to achieve a high level of practical and theoretical design competence, through the guidance of a dedicated international team of professors. The MDes program is involved in the current discussions of the internationally oriented design practice and its issues of design research. In combination with the strong practical background of The Basel School of Design, graduate students are given the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of discourse concerning image theory and design-oriented research.

Duration of Study
/ Costs
4 semesters / 120 ECTS / 60 US Credit Points. The master’s thesis is integrated into the fourth semester.

Tuition MDes: CHF $12,500.– per semester. Accredited by the British Skill Funding Agency (PCDL listed institution).

Language of Instruction
English

Application Deadline
The Master’s Program in Visual Communication and Iconic Research and the International Master in Design begin in September. The application deadline for our MDes is March. Submitting applications in advance of this deadline is encouraged.