Silkscreen Printing

Creativity – times two

Media design at the DHBW is a dual design study programme. We develop and deepen skills in visual communication design across a diverse range of media formats and references. Whether books, apps, film or interactive VR installations: for us, design always means acting in a social context. As designers, we are not only re-thinking objects and systems, but also the ways of realising them sustainably.

Uniquely in Germany, our dual study model combines art and design studies at a state university with practical training in creative agencies and institutions. We offer a mature study concept at an excellent professional level. We are guided by the latest design subjects and methods. We continuously develop our course syllabus to meet contemporary standards.

MotionLab reflector
Graphic Design Book
Award party

The advantages of our dual study programme

The intensive cooperation between university/study course and partner companies is fruitful and future-oriented. It offers excellent career opportunities for our graduates.

Six good reasons to study media design at Ravensburg Cooperative State University.

Effective studies

In six semesters, our students acquire an accredited, internationally recognised Bachelor’s degree with 210 credit points. During this time, they gain extensive professional experiences, allowing for a seamless transition into both a career as creative professional as well as into further postgraduate studies.

Excellent career prospects

At the time of their final exams, approximately 85% of our graduates already have a follow-up employment contract or remain employed with their dual partner company. And their prospects are even better: according to a study by IBM among professionals aged 30 to 44, graduates of a dual study programme not only have climbed higher on the career ladder than fellow students with degrees from universities of applied sciences and universities, but also they earn a correspondingly higher income.

Personal study in small groups

The average course size is around 25 people. You get to know your fellow students quickly – you help each other and often work together in teams. Students are not an anonymous mass, but are perceived as individual personalities. This also includes the close connection to the programme coordinators, who are happy to help with questions and problems.

Teaching excellence

Cutting edge professional know-how – In teaching, our approach heavily builds on innovative design practice: in addition to full-time professors, our faculty and external teaching staff consists of top professionals in their fields. Creative directors, CEOs and design experts from renowned media agencies accompany you in developing your creative personality. DHBW Media Design has held top positions in Germany-wide creative rankings and international competitions for design colleges for years.

Salary and social security

Students in our dual study programme obtain registered student status and at the same time hold a training contract with one of our partner companies. Companies pay a salary subject to social security, which is staggered over the period of study. On the one hand, this entitles dual students to all the benefits that students have – including BAföG funding. On the other hand, dual students are financially more independent. While “regular students” usually look for temporary jobs during the semester breaks, “DHBW students” have a permanent position with social security. Appropriate remuneration during DHBW studies is based on the relevant tariff agreements (BiBB, IHK).

Exceptional tech facilities

Our extensive spatial and technical equipment allows our students to work at the highest professional level: In addition to various seminar and lecture rooms, there are two fully equipped maclabs as well as separate studio spaces for individual work and study. As a media design student, you have access to the printing facilities, for example for screen printing and letterpress. The Motion Lab is also available to you as a studio for film/animation, VR tracking and 3D printing. Professional photography, film and audio equipment can be borrowed from our equipment rental service. In addition, students have access to the DHBW’s own film, TV and Radio studios and the physical/digital library. All buildings and premises are within the inner city of Ravensburg and only a short walk away.

Best of the Best

The quality of our study model is reflected in the success of our students: DHBW Mediendesign once again achieves the second-best score in the ADC ranking of all important creative universities in Germany in 2020 and is thus listed as one of the most creative universities in the country for the third year in a row. And things are also going extremely well on an international level: for years, project results and final theses from our programme have been regularly successful in some of the best-known international design and communication competitions. The numbers speak for themselves …

  • ADC Deutschland Junior (32x)
  • Red Dot Award/Red Dot Best of the Best (15x)
  • GWA Junior Agency Award (4x)
  • D&AD Young Blood Award (5x)
  • German Design Award (3x)
  • Type Directors Club New York
  • Stiftung Buchkunst,
    Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung (2x)
  • DDC Gute Gestaltung (2x)
  • 100 beste Plakate D/A/CH
  • Deutscher Multimediapreis mb21 (3x)
  • Annual Multimedia Award 2019 (12x)
  • European Design Award 2018 (8x)
  • Future Award (4x)
  • Cannes Lion
  • iF concept design award (2x)
  • RSA London Student Award (4x)
  • Creativity International Awards (2x)
  • abgedreht Jugendfilmfestival (4x)
  • Jung und Abgedreht Kurzfilmfestival Hanau (3x)
  • JuFiFe Jugendfilmfestival (2x)
  • Deutscher Jugendfilmpreis (3x)
  • Kath. Jugendmedienpreis
  • Bundespreis ecodesign
  • Eurobest Award
  • Rio de Janeiro Uranium Film Festival
  • Mr.I Development of Rising Artists Award (Japan)

Course structure

Our media design degree programme focuses on conceptual and design aspects of project work. Students develop and design communication concepts across the full range of visual, interactive and cinematic media. The project-oriented semester topics build on each other and are complemented by the development of artistic-creative design methods and technical design skills. Seminars on media history, theory and cultural studies ensure a contemporary media discourse.

Contents and focus

Basic studies
1. and 2. semester

In the first year of study, basic design methods and techniques are being taught and tested in practice (theory and practice phases 1 and 2). Idea generation, the connection between form and content, as well as aspects of visual communication are the focus of the discussion. The acquisition of methodological competencies such as creativity techniques or the application of current software tools complement the teaching process.

Main studies
5. and 6. semester

During the main study programme, study content from the first and second year is being is deepened. While the focus during the first and second year is on guided teaching of various design subjects, this shifts during the main studies to independent student project work. Students specialise in three areas of design according to their personall preferences and capabilities: Graphic Design, Interaction Design and Motion Design. The Bachelor’s thesis, to be completed in the 6th semester, is the conclusion and culmination of the main study programme.

Basic studies
3. and 4. semester

The orientation courses in the study semesters 3 and 4 aim at cross-media networking of design expressions as well as the creation of more complex design systems: corporate design guidelines, campaigns, interaction design, communication in space and motion design are the main subject of the compulsory modules in the second year of study. Students should try out many different fields of media design and find out in which area their individual strengths lie.

Within the design subjects, different emphases are set:

Graphic Design & Typography

  • Print Media
  • Corporate Design
  • Information Design
  • Typographic Systems
  • Illustration

Interaction Design

  • UX/UI Design
  • Audiovisual Interaction
  • Multiscreen Experiences
  • Interactive Installations
  • VR/AR Games

Motion Design

  • Motion Branding
  • Image Spots
  • Short films
  • 2D/3D Animation

Media Art

  • Transmedia Concepts
  • Orientation Systems
  • Exhibition and Event Design
  • Social Design
  • Experimental Work

Applied theory

Our study model focuses on design conception through practical exploration – Design heisst Entwurf as Lucius Burkhardt says. Good design, however, can only emerge from profound contextual knowledge.

Our block-type teaching formats predominantly take place in small study groups. They combine theoretical study, discourse and literature research with practical exercises and lab weeks.

Self-study in in open-access ateliers and studios allows students to deepen their individual interests and practical skills.

Siebdruck Reiniger
VR Headset Motionlab
MotionLab Work Station
Stack of Books

Study abroad

The Media Design degree programme has an excellent international network. As a member of the Cumulus Association, we are in close contact with the most important art and design colleges worldwide. We maintain an active exchange with our partner universities in other European countries, but also in the USA or South Africa.

For media design students, we offer the opportunity to spend one study phase during 3rd year at one of our partner universities abroad.

Some of our partner universities/study programmes:

University of Reading, London

Leeds College of Art, Leeds

Napier University, Edinburgh

Fontys Hogeschool, Tilburg

University of Lapland, Rovaniemi

Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, Kopenhagen

Bilgi University, Istanbul

Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg

Durban University of Technology, Durban

Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Kapstadt

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

The Duale Hochschule awards the academic degree “Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)” upon successful completion of the Media Design programme. The quality of studies is continuously checked by the German accreditation agency ZEvA within the framework of accreditations.

The programme is a so-called “intensive study programme” during which 210 credit points are acquired over the course of the Bachelor’s studies. For a Master’s degree, only 90 more credit points are necessary.

Documents and downloads

General

↘ Flyer Media Design

Information brochure on the Media Design degree programme at DHBW Ravensburg

↗ BYOD - Hinweise und Empfehlungen

BYOD – Hard- and software recommendations for the media design programme (version 11/2022)

Application

↗ Firmenliste

The list of companies includes companies that have a place available at the next start of the degree programme. Unsolicited applications to companies that are not yet cooperation partners are also possible.

For partner companies

↘ Firmenbogen MD

The company sheet provides information about business areas and opportunities for support within the partner company.

↘ Reservierungsformular

With this form, a partner company can reserve a study place as well as choose the phase in which the applicant will study.

Your application

You are constantly creative and think in pictures? When others are quick to overlook, you could go on drawing or photographing the subtlest things for hours? You have been busy designing the merch and this crazy music video for your band. And now you want to develop your enthusiasm for design further, in a professional creative environment, with experiments but also real client projects? We would say: requirements met for our media design study programme!

The most important requirement for studying design with us is enthusiasm. Whether in an agency internship, through vocational media education or in a portfolio preparation course: many of our students were already creatively active before they began their studies – often outside of art lessons at school. They started early to build up a portfolio of artistic and creative work samples.

The second most important requirement for our degree programme: a partner company supporting you. Design offices, advertising and digital agencies, publishing houses, film productions, etc. are all possible candidates. There is a wide professional range, but the main and most important requirement is always the same: visible creative enthusiasm in your design portfolio.

Hello
Chairs Feet Posters

The approval process

Six steps to your admission to the Media Design degree programme at DHBW Ravensburg.

General or subject-linked higher education entrance qualification

The formal requirement for studying at DHBW Ravensburg is a general or subject-specific higher education entrance qualification (Abitur). Under certain conditions, however, prospective students with a higher education entrance qualification or vocational qualification can also be admitted. You can find more information about this under the admission regulations on the general DHBW Ravensburg website.

Application to the partner company

Your application with portfolio will be sent directly to the partner company. This can be a company that is already cooperating with DHBW or our Media Design degree programme and is on the current list of companies. You can also apply to creative companies that are new to the programme, but willing to support your studies. This can involve advertising and digital agencies, design offices, media companies, publishing houses, radio and television companies as well as larger industrial companies with their own design department. Industry directories (e.g. dmig) and association websites (e.g. GWA, ADC, BVDW or DDV) can help with the company search. Incoming job postings are published on our social media.

Reservation of study place

Once you have found a partner company and all the requirements for cooperation have been clarified, this company can reserve the study place. This can be done by telephone or in writing directly to the Media Design Office.

Conclusion of the training contract

Now the study contract is signed by the partner company and you as the applicant. The study and training contract regulates, among other things, weekly working hours, salary or holiday entitlement according to industry-specific collective agreement guidelines.

Submission of the registration documents

Now you submit all the necessary admission documents to the Media Design Office. This includes the original training contract, a certified copy of the school leaving certificate, curriculum vitae, 2 photographs, and, in the case of a university of applied sciences certificate, also a certificate confirming that the student has passed the DHBW Delta Examination or the academic counselling.

Congratulations

If the requirements are met and all necessary documents have been submitted to the Media Design Office, admission is granted via the Examination Office of DHBW RV. As a new student, you will receive the notification of admission and enrolment, which is valid from the start of studies on 1st October each year

Information events

During our regularly planned info events, professors and students provide insights into the Media Design degree programme. Apart from answering questions about the special features and prerequisites of the cooperative programme, the main focus is on design specific study content and a show&tell of numerous project examples.

Individual questions will be clarified at the end of the event. It is also possible to take a look at the various rooms and studios. Usually, staff and/or students are also available for an individual discussion.

Foundation Courses

Our foundational studies in Media offer art and design-related short courses for prospective students. One-week intensive courses in basic areas of design provide the tools to developing your own creative portfolio for applying for a cooperative study place in creative media design.

Visit Vorstudium Medien

DHBW Media Foundation Studies: Artistic Collage
DHBW Medien Vorstudium UX Gestaltung
DHBW Medien Vorstudium im Kapuziner