International Master of Design in Graphic Design UIC Chicago / HGK Basel

The International Master of Design in Graphic Design (MDes) is open to students who hold a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communication, communication design, media design or equivalent for a contemporary practice in Visual Communication.

The four-semester programme is a collaboration between two pre-eminent public research institutions, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW (HGK Basel). The successful completion of this programme leads to a double degree, one from each university.

Two online info events on February 20 and March 6 2025, at 6pm (CET) will provide more in-depth information on this exceptional study programme.

Submission date for applications at HGK Basel: March 31, 2025 / Final deadline for international (non-US) applicants at UIC Chicago: April 1, 2025 / Final deadline for domestic (US) applicants at UIC Chicago: May 15, 2025.

The programme conducted in Basel specifically focuses on the pedagogy developed in the context of the legendary Swiss Graphic Design. This process-oriented approach leads our MDes students to the ability to create visual messages with a reflected, yet individual design vocabulary, which takes the specificities of cultural settings and the complexity of today’s world into account. The aim of our collaborative graduate programme is to advance the profession’s expanding directions and range of impact by balancing deep disciplinary engagement with proactive critical intent.

Specific for the MDes programme is the connection between the tradition of Swiss Graphic Design and fast-developing Digital Technologies in visual communication. Through a process-oriented approach, which involves digital as well as analogue material, creation of variations and their critical evaluation in a comparative analysis take place. This process orientation has led to a practice-led research methodology which involves the design of visual messages and experimental digital media applications for gaining insight into how visual messages create meaning. To extend the craft-oriented heritage, we have critically embraced the digital environment with its provision of tools but also as a medium which allows us to create tools and serve as a means to disseminate messages.

To train our students in critical analysis, we also provide insight into todays practice through weekly visits of studios, agencies, archives and exhibitions in Switzerland and the European Union. These serve as inspiration and allow to situate one’s own practice in the context of contemporary fields of discourse. In addition, MDes students based in Basel visit the Chicago programme at least once during their studies..

The programme consists of a four-semester full time study. The students are registered at the UIC Chicago and at the HGK Basel, where all courses are held in English. The limited group size of max. 20 MDes students allows for an individualized mentoring of each student.   

Alumni of the International Master of Design in Graphic Design have established independent studios at the forefront of design practices; been recruited to teach and research at design schools and universities worldwide; taken part in exhibition programmes in Dubai, Eindhoven, Mexico City, New York, and Seoul; as well as assumed diverse leadership roles in the international field of design. We look forward to continuing this tradition of influence and invite your application for the fall of 2025.

Prospective students seeking to study in Basel are encouraged to visit the MDes Basel website. For any questions, please contact our MDes Basel Programme Coordinator, Ted Davis.

About studying at Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW
We aspire to be an inspiring and ambitious academy while being welcoming, joyful and transformative. We value the diversity of our student body, encourage collaboration and love surprises. On our campus, we offer studio spaces 24/7, excellently equipped workshops and labs, individual mentoring and counselling, international exchange programmes, open discourse spaces and social infrastructures. Our creative neighbourhood on the Dreispitz, the cultural city of Basel and our geographical location in the three-country triangle make the HGK Basel a unique place to study.