Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design

The Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe) is a new type of art academy that rises to the challenge of making and thinking art and design in interaction with new and familiar technologies. It stands for broad-minded openness to the world outside and exceptional freedom in its internal academic structure. There are no departments in the traditional sense, only courses open to all. An international team of professors from nearly a dozen different countries work to realize an ideal of teaching as an applied poetics of relationships. Communication design, product design, media art, exhibition design and scenography, art research and media philosophy—all are taught and learned in an environment of transdisciplinary, cross-media openness. 

The traditional academic freedom represented by nonmodular courses of study is highly valued at the university. The interlinked art and design programs conclude with an examination for the Diplom degree, the theory programs with the Magister. These degrees are and will continue to be internationally recognized; compatibility with European standards is guaranteed. Students in the theory programs must choose a practical subject as their secondary focus; students in the practical programs must study a theoretical subject. Students can also pursue doctorates on topics in both art and media theory.