Combining the competitive advantages 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 to the students.

 * The specific degree name shall be subject to the degree certificate granted in the current year.

I  Programs

Major I: Mechanics (Master of Mechanics in Industrial Design)

Mechanics- Advanced Industrial Design

As a Program under Mechanics Major study, Advanced Industrial Design Program is equipped of profound disciplinary heritage, excellent faculty, and leading academic achievements. This program focuses on the development of design theory and methodology, innovation capabilities as well as comprehensive abilities, and make use of the cutting-edge characteristic of Industrial Design to provide a strong platform for the intersection of discipline and major.

Mechanics- Advanced Media and Communication Design

In an era of digital being and network, digital media has already been becoming the creative convergence of digital arts, science, technology and business for human expression, communication, social interaction and education and so on and is dissolving the distance of reality and virtual reality.

Advanced Media and Communication Design is a developing, exciting, very open field between tradition and the modern, art and technology, economics and the humanities.

Corresponding Program in Aalto University

Collaborative and Industrial Design Program 

The Collaborative and Industrial Design program (CoID) focuses on design innovation. It enables in-depth understanding of design’s role in society, and provides its participants with advanced skills to work as designers in both corporative and entrepreneurial roles. It extends industrial design into interaction design, service design, co-design and other emerging fields where design activities can enhance the quality of the environment and people’s life. Students learn empathic, critical, strategic and technical skills needed in design innovation processes and practices. They are also encouraged to explore roles unforeseen in design and design industry.

Over the duration of the program the students will develop understanding of design in relation to innovation and contemporary culture, be it local or global, private or public. The students will also develop an extensive ability to design, lead design projects, and collaborate with non-designers, and thus become able to shape change in communities and companies.

Education Content

Students are trained in concept design, co-design, strategic design and design research. They learn skills needed to capture and reframe design briefs and problems to justify their insights and make well-grounded design concepts. They learn to construct these concepts with models and prototypes of different kinds and to test their design ideas through research. They also learn strategic skills needed to manage innovation and entrepreneurial practices in business settings, as well as co-design skills to manage social innovation in organizations and the public sector.

Studies are organized in three different competence areas that all include several modules ranging in topics and mode of working. Work-life connections and project-based learning is emphasized and the courses often include a project to take the design inquiry into real world contexts.

Studies in three different competence areas:

Advanced Industrial Design focuses on contemporary product development and manufacturing processes, high-quality form giving, prototyping and concrete industrial collaboration through projects.

Collaborative Design focuses on people as the starting point for design action, and expands the scope towards collaborative design processes, the use of interactive technologies, and the design of services, in societal context and in business.

Design Strategy and Leadership focuses on the attitude and capability to successfully utilize design in the creation, development and management of contemporary business practice.

Besides the main study contents described above, students can select optional content studies either from the competence areas above, from other degree programs, or from available minor programs. Specific study contents are to be agreed upon in the making of a Personal Study Plan.

Further information about the program: coid.aalto.fi

Major II: Art and Design (Master of Fine Arts)

Art and Design- Advanced Environmental Design

This program is committed to creating and facilitating a sustainable “Life-Environmental Ecosystem” by using holistic, life-based and sustainable methods. This Ecosystem creates the experience, exchange and space which are based on the interactions between human beings and their environment. At master’s level, the program’s focus lies on the advanced knowledge of Environmental Design, especially the study of the complexity, ambiguity, uncertainty and systematic problems of our environment. The program introduces a variety of design and research methods, techniques, tools, and encourages the reformation of Environmental Design in an interdisciplinary context.

Art and Design- Product Service System Design

This program concerns the change in design focus from products to services, such as services and strategies in software (intangible) design, and develop Management in multi-purposes design processes and projects. We focus not only on the material output of design practices (products, furniture, interior and technical components, etc.), but also on how products enter the system (market, community and everyday life), and how to integrate services with product design.

Corresponding Program in Aalto University

Creative Sustainability

The International Master’s Program in Creative Sustainability (CS) is a joint master’s degree program of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the School of Business and the School of Engineering. The global and local challenges and the complexity of future scenarios increasingly require a multidisciplinary approach as well as education that can address the linkages between the environmental, the economic and the socio-cultural. The CS program provides a multidisciplinary learning platform in the fields of architecture, business, design, built environment and real estate for dealing with the significant challenges of sustainability which background is in climate change, global poverty, social and economic inequality, demographic changes and rapid global economic changes. The CS program offers students opportunities to collaborate with research projects, companies, organizations and students from other disciplines. The students will graduate with degrees of Master of Arts. The CS Program is also offered as minor subject studies for students of the Aalto University study programs.

The Master’s Program in Creative Sustainability brings together students from different fields to study in multidisciplinary teams, increasing their understanding of different disciplines and enabling holistic approaches. This activates students to create new sustainable solutions for the human, urban, industrial and business environments.

Multidisciplinary approach: Students learn to adapt knowledge, skills and new approaches to reach collaborative solutions based on ecological, economic and socio-cultural sustainability.

Systems approach: Students learn to use systemic thinking to problem-solve and create new holistic understandings of complex situations and the critical infrastructures of society. The emphasis is on global awareness within the context of local communities and having a combined influence on different aspects of sustainability simultaneously.

Design thinking: Students learn to apply creative problem-solving tools and methods to facilitate dialogue, define problems, generate ideas and attain solutions.

Sustainability management: Students learn to develop, support and manage sustainability initiatives for society at large, for business purposes and the needs of other organizations. Students also gain an understanding of the way different organizational forms and work practices can support the pursuit of sustainability.

Project management: Students learn to manage multidisciplinary teamwork, and to promote sustainability in culturally diverse organizational environments.

Skills outcomes of the CS in the Department of Design:

• Students learn to analyze sustainability problems and engage with them in a systemic, holistic and creative way
• Students are able to use design thinking and participatory approaches as problem solving tools
• Students are able to implement sustainable design methods and tools in concept, service and product design processes
• Students understand values and responsibilities of design discipline related to political, societal and business contexts
• Students learn how to participate in and lead design debate and evaluate and critique design
• Students understand the role of different disciplines in a multidisciplinary team

Academic skills:

• Students are able to engage in both theory- and practice-based research processes
• Students master the basics of academic writing, and are able to effectively utilize existing design research

Major III: Design (Master of Arts)

Design- Design Strategy and Management

This program aims to facilitate the postgraduates with the basic theories and knowledge of design strategy and management. To improve the understanding of the design values from the perspective of strategic management, the course relies on domestic and international academic and practical resources and combines our teaching with the current national industrial reformation needs. This program expects to discover strategic design thinking talents by teaching cross-disciplinary knowledge such as business management, design and engineering. Graduates would provide their future employers with sustainable products and services, increasing the overall innovation capability of the organization.

Corresponding Program in Aalto University

International Design Business Management

The International Design Business Management (IDBM) is a joint master’s program of all the schools of Aalto University: School of Arts, Design and Architecture, School of Business, School of Chemical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering and School of Science. IDBM educates students with arts, business and engineering backgrounds as T-shaped professionals providing them with a strategic view into management of international design-intensive businesses, operations, and product and service development. The objective is to gain knowledge in multiple disciplines and to learn to connect one’s own disciplinary expertise to a wider multi-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary design business framework. The global approach of IDBM program prepares students to work in multi-cultural settings and collaborate across national and cultural boundaries.

Graduates of the IDBM program will be able to drive design-oriented innovation and lead development initiatives within global environments.

This includes the ability to:

• use a design approach in product, service and business development
• lead and collaborate in multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams, deepening and connecting one’s own disciplinary expertise to a wider business context
• drive change and development activities in organizations
• communicate ideas and concepts both verbally and visually at operative and strategic levels
• understand and utilize academic research in defining and approaching problems in systematic and systemic manner

II  Tuition Fee 

III  Scholarship

The college will regularly organize Scholarship Committee to select the Excellent Students and award the scholarship and honor.