Background
The International Master of Design in Graphic Design UIC/HGK Basel program (MDes Basel) is a collaboration between two preeminent design schools housed in leading public research institutions: The Institute Digital Communication Environments of the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW, Switzerland (HGK Basel) and the School of Design at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Our MDes Basel program offers advanced design students’ opportunities to amplify their creative abilities as they engage in the world-class cultural offerings of two vibrant cities.

Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW has influenced the international graphic design community since the 1960s. UIC is a young, progressive, and distinguished public research university. Based on the tradition of Swiss Design pedagogy, the aim of our collaborative graduate program is to advance the profession’s expanding directions and range of impact by balancing deep disciplinary engagement with proactive critical intent. In this context, students are encouraged to connect the meaning and purpose of their work to global, cultural, political, technological, and socio-economic issues.

MDes Basel students participate in project-oriented activities that strengthen process-oriented skills as applied to image- and form-making, typographic forms and systems, documentation and publication design, and digital media innovation. Curriculum additionally fosters analytical competence in research and writing, as well as in design history and theory. A highlight of the program is the master’s thesis, an independent research, writing, design, and exhibition project, that offers students the opportunity to identify and explore a topic of inquiry with the potential to contribute to broader disciplinary knowledge.

Coordinated programs of exchange offer possibilities for all MDes students to experience the rich international history of Basel and to access the diverse forms of design practice in Chicago. Every other year, Basel-based students make a field trip to Chicago. Activities and excursions during this exchange balance campus-based collaborative workshops with interdisciplinary cultural experiences. Between the first and second year of the program, Chicago-based MDes students participate in the Basel Summer Workshops.

Over 15 years ago, we celebrated our first graduating class of the MDes Basel. Since that time, alumni have established independent studios at the forefront of design practice; been recruited to teach at design schools and universities worldwide; taken part in academic and exhibition programs such as Dubai, Eindhoven, Mexico City, New York, and Seoul; and assumed diverse leadership roles in the international field of design. We look forward to continuing this tradition of influence and welcome your application for this upcoming fall.

Unique to this program, is the opportunity to graduate with an internationally accredited Master of Design (MDes) from UIC and the Swiss equivalent, MAS in Graphic Design I, Iconicism and Graphic Design II, Mediality from the HGK Basel. Students are matriculated and registered at UIC with classes being held at the HGK Basel. This is a 4 Semester, 120 ECTS (60 US Credits), full-time program.

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