Strategy 2035 - Department of Design
Strategy 2026-2035
Department of Design at NTNU is dedicated to training designers who understand the intricate relationship between technology and society. Our research focuses on the interaction between people, technology, and the environment, aiming to create innovative, human-centered, and aesthetically pleasing products, systems, and services. By integrating these elements, we strive to contribute to a more sustainable and better world for individuals, organizations, and society.
The Department of Design at NTNU develops knowledge and practices that shape people's surroundings, everyday lives and future opportunities. Through education, research, innovation and dissemination, the department contributes to realizing NTNU's vision "Knowledge for a better world" and the Faculty of Architecture and Design's strategic initiatives on people-centeredness, interdisciplinarity, creativity, quality, sustainability and inclusion. NTNU's values – creative, constructive, critical and respectful – are integrated into the department's academic culture and characterize both teaching, research and collaboration.
The department educates designers at bachelor's, master's, PhD levels, and life-long learning programs for professionals. The programs are based on the distinctive pedagogy of the design subjects and combine practical skills, understanding technology, aesthetics, critical reflection and community-oriented competence. Our academic priorities are particularly at the intersection of technology, sustainability, society and aesthetics. Research and education are developed in close context through studio work, practice-based projects, workshops and laboratories, and students are actively involved in our research and innovation work. This provides a holistic learning arena where new knowledge is developed and used in real design processes.
The department is part of a strong and interdisciplinary academic environment at NTNU's Faculty of Architecture and Design, with activities on several campuses and in close dialogue with both regional, national and international actors. We collaborate closely with other academic environments at NTNU, the public sector, business and industry and international partners, and take an active part in relevant research and education networks. Through this work, we further develop an inclusive and engaging work and learning environment that promotes academic quality, creative expression and high societal relevance.
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Ambition 1: Strengthening the department’s position and visibility regionally, nationally, and internationally
The Department of Design will further develop and strengthen its position and visibility as a department with study programmes, and academic and research environments that excel regionally, nationally, and internationally. We will strengthen contact and collaboration with strategically selected international partners through student exchange, staff mobility, and research cooperation. We emphasise dissemination and disciplinary critique through exhibitions, lectures, media contributions, and other forms of public engagement.
The department will also work to increase contact with society and industry—through alumni networks, companies, business associations, professional design organisations, international design associations, international consortia for design education, and the National Design Council under UHR’s Strategic Unit for Art, Design, and Architecture. The institute will also work to involve relevant actors from society and industry in research and innovation projects. These connections will help us stay in touch with developments in society and industry and contribute to keeping our programmes relevant, socially beneficial, and attractive.
The department will also work systematically to ensure that former students and staff experience the department as a professional home they wish to return to—whether by participating in our alumni community, returning as examiners, pursuing continuing or doctoral education, or engaging and collaborating in other ways.
Ambition 2: Strengthening and further developing the study programme portfolio
The department currently educates a broad spectrum of designers for Norwegian industry, public administration, and other sectors—at BA, MA, and PhD levels, as well as through one-year courses and continuing education (EVU). To ensure continued societal and labor market relevance, the portfolio and programmes must be continuously adjusted and occasionally changed.
However, it is important to preserve the department’s distinctive academic offerings by consolidating the portfolio to avoid unnecessary fragmentation and to maintain uniquely profiled programmes from a national perspective. We will revitalise and strengthen the role of programme councils for each study programme, where faculty, students, and external stakeholders play key roles.
Ambition 3: Educating for competent professional practice with high quality and a strong learning environment
The department will continue to train and educate designers with a competence that balances practical skills, technological understanding and form-giving ability with analytical strength, conceptual creativity, theoretical and historical grounding, social responsibility, and critical reflection. Our learning environment emphasises collaboration and student-active learning methods, while supporting the aesthetic character and creative indeterminacy of the design disciplines. Students are encouraged to bring along their own experiences, ideas, and interests to develop their own designerly voice, their ability to innovate, to make independent choices, and to create meaningful and purposeful work.
Teaching is both research-based and dependent on experiential knowledge from the field of practice. We have a particular responsibility to maintain and develop our professional terminology in the Norwegian language, to ensure that terms, concepts, methods, and insights are accessible in Norwegian for students, practitioners, and the public.
Our programmes will continue to be based on a mix of pedagogical models associated with design education, based on the academy tradition, the polytechnic tradition, and the Bauhaus tradition. Involving signature pedagogies such as design projects simulating projects from the field of practice, multiple rounds of supervision, access to workshops and labs, peer learning in a studio, and a precedent-rich learning environment.
Students should be able to apply their design background in technical-scientific, social science, and humanities contexts. It is essential that formal quality assurance processes are supplemented by continuous informal dialogue with students about study quality. The department will also facilitate the strengthening of student culture and social belonging.
Ambition 4: Developing a holistic strategy for student recruitment, support, and completion
The study programmes at the department currently have, for the most part, a high number of applicants. Still, going forward we will intensify efforts to develop a holistic strategy for student recruitment, support, and completion. This includes targeted measures to recruit more highly qualified first-choice applicants, more dynamic adjustment of offers to optimise attendance, and systematic efforts to reduce dropout rates.
We will also facilitate increased completion within the standard timeframe and ensure that graduates achieve excellent results.
Ambition 5: Increasing research and innovation activity and staff development
The department will continue to conduct high-level research at the intersection of technology, sustainability, society, and aesthetics. Through our focus areas and labs, we will actively participate in local, regional, national, and international networks and contribute to NTNU’s strategic priorities and societal missions in line with the Long-Term Plan for Research and Higher Education. As a key partner in research and innovation, we will continue to collaborate closely with other academic environments at NTNU, public actors, industry, and international partners. We will emphasize Nordic collaboration through existing agreements and maintain an open and flexible approach to other international collaborations that add academic and strategic value and raise the quality of our research and knowledge development.
We emphasize curiosity‑driven research connected to the distinctive nature of the design disciplines, contributing to high‑quality research and knowledge development. Our research shall have particular relevance for design practice — meaning research into, for, or through design. Innovation will continue to be an integral part of our activity, especially in the intersection between research, education, and collaboration with societal actors. Design students will be introduced early to our research and development portfolio and actively participate in this work, strengthening the connection between education and research.
We aim to educate more PhD candidates through externally funded projects and to establish agreements for doctoral projects in collaboration with industry and the public sector. These projects strengthen research-based innovation and development in practice while bringing valuable experience and networks back to the department. We also emphasise curiosity-driven research related to the unique nature of design and key themes in our programmes. To achieve this, we will seek internally funded PhD positions at NTNU—both to increase research capacity and to create career paths for staff without formal research qualifications but with valuable practical experience. We also support academic and pedagogical development as a means of professional advancement toward associate and full professor roles.
Ambition 6: Fostering a positive work environment
The Department of Design will be an attractive and engaging academic community based on academic freedom, trust in staff, and room for professional growth. Staff competence is our most important resource, and both academic and administrative staff are equally important in delivering quality teaching, research, communication, and administrative services.
Tasks and responsibilities will be distributed as fairly as possible, with awareness of avoiding “participation fatigue.” The department will be characterised by genuine opportunities for involvement, open and transparent processes, and good internal communication. We will be an inclusive, safe, and pleasant work and learning environment across our campuses, with support for meeting places and travelling between campuses to strengthen our shared academic community.
We work systematically with psychosocial and physical work environment factors. The department will ensure that everyone has access to up-to-date and relevant tools—both digital and workshop-based—offer a mentoring scheme for new employees and facilitate the development of career plans for all staff.