Shanghai International College of Design and Innovation (Shanghai D&I) was jointly founded by Tongji University and Aalto University, Finland. It is an institution of “Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools,” and its establishment was approved on February 25, 2016 by the Ministry of Education.
Shanghai D&I, featuring Innovation Design (also known as "Design 3.0), devotes itself to integrating innovation, technology and business, and to cultivating world-class leading innovation-oriented design talents with creative sustainability. Keeping in line with the social economic characteristics in a global digital network era, Shanghai D&I meets the needs of innovation-driven development and economic transformation as well as upgrading on national and regional level.
In service of promoting national competence and competitiveness in the field of design and innovation, Shanghai D&I focuses on intellectual sustainable design geared towards industrial transformation and future life, catering to the needs of innovation, transformation and development in Shanghai and nationwide.
Drawing from the faculty and curriculum of Tongji University College of Design and Innovation (D&I) and Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Shanghai D&I currently offers five master’s degree programs.
- College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University
Design education at Tongji University began in the 1940s, and for the first 70 years, the core design discipline was linked to architectural studies, mainly in the Bauhaus tradition. In 1993, the department of industrial design was established. In 2009, the University moved its design department out of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning and established a new school—the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University (known as D&I).
D&I is now one of the most internationally renowned design schools in China. From 2007 to 2010, Bloomberg’s BUSINESSWEEK listed Tongji Design three times as one of the world’s best D-Schools. In 2011, MONOCLE magazine introduced the Tongji/Aalto Design Factory as one of the five highly unique university innovation platforms. In 2013 and 2014, D&I was included in the FRAME Master class ranking of the “Top 30 World Leading Master’s Programs in Design.” In 2019, Tongji University was ranked No. 14 globally by QS World University Ranking by Subject (No. 1 in Asia).
D&I enjoys membership in the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design, and Media (CUMULUS); the World Design Organization (WDO, formerly the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design); the International Network of Design for Social Innovation & Sustainability (DESIS); the Fablab Network; and the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL).
- Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Aalto University is one of the largest and best art and design universities not only in Scandinavia but also in Northern Europe. It is world-famous for its achievements in the fields of art and design, and was ranked No.4 in Europe and No.7 globally by QS World University Ranking in 2020.
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, founded in 1871 as the Craft School, is one of Finland’s most internationally known schools. It is the largest in its field in the Nordic countries and one of the most respected in the world. The school became a part of Aalto University in 2010, and started operating in its present form in 2012.
Photos fron Aalto University Photos fron Aalto University Photos fron Aalto University, by Roee Cohen
