About this programme
Master of design is a Master's Degree programme at Oslo School of Architecture and Design in Oslo, taught in English. It runs for 2 years and carries 120 ECTS credits. The register gives Oslo as the campus town. It lists the degree as Master. Oslo School of Architecture and Design is an arts, music and architecture academy in Oslo.
How it compares
Master of design is one of 4 English-taught Industrial Design programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 4 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.
What you will study
The Master of Design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) is a two year, full time programme of 120 ECTS taught in English on the Oslo campus. It builds on an Industrial Design tradition but now covers interaction design, service design and systems oriented design as well. You can specialise in one field or take a hybrid approach across them.
What you study
The programme takes a broad view of design and its place in society. It is built around the emerging fields of design that respond to societal challenges, new technologies and increased complexity. You work on creating services, products and interactions that delight, improve and challenge.
AHO's philosophy centres on methods and processes, aesthetics and communication, and places design practice inside an ethical, sustainable and critical socio-cultural framework. The school's Systems Oriented Design courses give you methodologies for tackling complex societal, industrial and cultural challenges. The programme also stresses a people-centred, empathetic approach, working with users, stakeholders and systems, and taking responsibility for the impact of your work on users, technology, ecology and long-term sustainability.
How the programme is organised
The first year is structured around courses and projects from the specialisations Industrial Design, Interaction Design or Service Design, or a personal hybrid blend of the three. You can also take a Systems Oriented Design approach to your specialised or hybrid area.
The first semester of the second year is dedicated to your chosen specialisation, or to interdisciplinary work based on systems oriented design. Alongside this you plan and find a theme for your diploma project. The final semester is given over to that diploma project, which can be done in close cooperation with external companies and organisations, or in connection with research and development at the Institute of Design and Centre for Design Research.
You choose courses based on your interests, subject to course-specific prerequisites and the path of study you were admitted to. Studio course offerings may change. There is also the option to spend one or two semesters as an exchange student at one of AHO's partner schools.
Who it suits
This suits someone who wants to shape industry, organisations and daily life through design, and who is comfortable with complexity and open-ended problems. AHO expects graduates to establish an independent professional area of work, contribute original perspectives and practise at a high international level. You should be ready to reflect on your own work, challenge existing frameworks and consider the ethical implications of design practice. Collaboration skills and adaptability matter, since the teaching involves industry partners and the school's research activities.
Admission, language and next steps
Teaching is in English. There are 10 study places. The application opens on 5 December and the deadline is 2 February, with studies starting in August. Non-EU/EEA/Swiss students pay a tuition fee; students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees at state institutions, and other degree students normally pay a fee the institution sets. Check the programme page for the exact fee and the application system, and contact admission@aho.no with questions about the programme, application process or admission.
Job opportunities after graduating
- Industrial design
- Interaction design
- Service design
- Systems oriented design
- Design research and development
- Design practice within industry, organisations and the public sector
- Interdisciplinary collaboration and facilitation
Before you apply
Master’s applications go straight to Oslo School of Architecture and Design, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. The institution lists its deadline as: 03.02.2025. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.
Facts on this page come from the Study in Norway register, the official English-programme list run by HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Fees are in NOK as the institution lists them. "Not listed" means the register has no figure, not that the programme is free. Always confirm requirements, fees and deadlines with the institution.
Quick answers
Is Master of design taught in English?
Yes. The Study in Norway register, run by HK-dir, lists it as an English-taught programme at Oslo School of Architecture and Design. Only English-taught degree programmes are included here.
How long does it take?
The register records 2 years of study and 120 ECTS credits. Sixty ECTS credits are one academic year of full-time study.
Where is it taught?
The register lists Oslo as the campus town for this programme at Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
How do I apply?
Master’s applications go straight to the institution, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme, and some programmes require a minimum grade average. Oslo School of Architecture and Design publishes its requirements on the programme page.
When is the application deadline?
Each institution sets and publishes its own deadline for each programme, and the dates can differ between applicants from outside the EU/EEA, EU/EEA applicants and Nordic applicants. As Oslo School of Architecture and Design lists it: 03.02.2025. Confirm the date for your own situation on the programme page at Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
What does it cost?
No annual fee is listed for this programme. Degree students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition at Norwegian institutions, and the fees vary by institution and programme, so ask Oslo School of Architecture and Design what applies to you. For students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland the record shows no tuition fee. Fees are in NOK as the institution lists them. Every student also pays a semester fee of about NOK 1,000 to the student welfare organisation linked to the institution.
Do I need a permit to study there?
Students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need a study permit from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). UDI asks for proof of admission, housing and funds of NOK 15,488 a month or NOK 170,368 a year (2026/27), on top of any tuition fee. A study permit allows work of up to 20 hours a week during term and full time in the holidays. Students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland register with the police within three months of arrival instead.
Is this programme officially listed?
It comes from the Study in Norway register at studyinnorway.no, the English-programme list run by HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The programme page at Oslo School of Architecture and Design is linked from this page so you can compare.