Develop into an experimental designer

Bachelor
Full-time

Design

Level: bachelor
Form: full-time
Duration: 4 years
Language: English
Locations: Groningen
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Credits: 240 ECTS
Startmonths: Start: September

Minerva Art Academy
Arts and Culture

Designers are an important driver of the creative industry, one of the most booming sectors in the Netherlands and abroad. Not only will you master the skills you need to become a professional designer, you will also develop a critical attitude. You will not just be reflecting on your own work, style and authenticity, but also that of your fellow students.

Apply for this programme Request brochure

Sla over

- Student aan het woord
'It took 15 hours of print and 3 meters of paper, but the experience that I got cannot be compared to any digital work'

Projects

As a designer, you will already start working on your own practice during your studies. For example, during OffCourses, with assignments through the Project Bureau and during Professional Wednesdays. By being directly active as a designer in professional practice, you can create social impact. This way, Minerva Art Academy is your springboard to the future.

Sla over

About this programme

If you are creative, curious, interested in experimenting with images and converting ideas to visual concepts, the Bachelor of Design may well be the right programme for you. Making mistakes is part of your development as a professional designer. By experimenting, failing and starting again you will create your own style, your signature.

You will also learn to build and protect your authenticity as a designer. We will provide you with the best facilities and counselling. You will work together with other students, to learn how to function in a (interdisciplinary) team. You learn to play with images and discover how your visual abilities can create solutions for questions in society.

Year 1 Introduction to the five study routes

Over the course of four years you will learn everything you need to start your practice as a professional designer. In the first year you learn all about general design. You will enroll in five study periods in each final profile and you will familiarise yourself with analogue and digital skills. You will also be taught Art, Design Theory and Vocational Training.
Year 2 Choose your own route

During the main phase, you will choose your own route. This can be a route focused on a particular medium, where you can choose from five profiles: Graphic & Interaction Design, Illustration & Animation Design, Spatial Design, Time Based Design or Product Design. Would you rather follow a personal route without specialising in a particular medium? Then you can choose an Off-road profile: you can combine a maximum of three profiles into a multidisciplinary profile.
Year 3 Practical experience

In the third year, students begin to make their own choices that will shape them into unique designers. You will engage with other disciplines and research your own position as a designer. In the third year, you will also test your individuality in practice during a six-month period of one of the following options: an internship, an international exchange or internship, practical projects, a research project, or a minor.
Year 4 Graduating

The fourth year is the graduation year in which you further position yourself and graduate as a designer. You will work towards a joint exhibition with the work of all other exam candidates.

After your studies

After this study programme, you can work as an independent designer (alone or in a group) or look for a job with, for example, a design agency or theatre company. During the programme, you will get to know the professional possibilities. For instance, we organize a number of Professional Wednesdays during the academic year where you can meet designers (often alumni) to get further acquainted. In practice, designers usually do not work alone: they often have to deal with clients, colleagues and implementers. Therefore, we offer a number of interesting excursions throughout the years that will give you a better insight into the possibilities.

Master up

With your Bachelor's degree you can apply for the Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design at the Frank Mohr Institute of Minerva Art Academy.

Sla over

Entry requirements

To enrol for the bachelor Design, you will need a national (home country) secondary school diploma or international secondary school qualification, such as an International Baccalaureate Diploma. It must have a level equivalent to the Dutch HAVO school diploma (General Secondary Education), or MBO-4 diploma, with NLQF/EQF level 4 or higher.

If you want to know more about the value of your own diploma, you can also check the diploma comparison site of our national agency NUFFIC.

Even with insufficient preliminary education, you may still be admitted to the Academy on the grounds of 'exceptional talent' and a good performance in a test. The test indicates whether or not you can function at higher professional educational level. You must pay the costs of this test yourself. When you are accepted on the grounds of 'exceptional talent' you will receive an invitation by the Minerva admission officer to take the test.

Application procedure

Step 1 Enrol in Studielink

You can apply through Studielink for the Design Study programme (digital application form). You must go through a number of steps during the enrolment process. IMPORTANT: We strongly advise you to read the information about immigration requirements.
Step 2 Entrance exam

The Design study programme has two rounds. The entrance exam is mandatory for everyone who applies.

Deadlines

Deadline for applying in Studielink is 1 May 2024 if you are an EU/EEA applicant or 10 March* 2024 if you are a non-EU applicant. After the previous mentioned deadlines, it is not possible to apply anymore for study year 2024-2025.

*Non-European/EEA nationality students need to have completed the entrance exam before June 1st, 2024. This is due to the immigration deadline.

Important: Add [email protected] to your mail contact list. This way our messages won’t end up in the spam and you won’t miss any deadlines.

Round 1

After application you will get access to Hanze Application Minerva and receive the requirements for the first round. You will be asked to upload 1 merged PDF max. 50mb containing:

Motivation Letter
CV
Portfolio

Click here for the guidelines.

Deadlines for uploading the round 1 document in Hanze Application:

Non-EU: preferably after application, but no later than 10 March* 2024 23.59hrs.
EU/EEA: preferably after application, but no later than 30 April 2024 23.59hrs.

Round 2

Home assignment + Interview

On the basis of your portfolio and motivation letter you will receive an invitation, you will be invited for the first available date, for the second round of the Entrance Examination or a rejection letter by email.

If you have been admitted to the second round of the entrance examination, the Admissions Committee will assess whether you are a suitable candidate for the study programme. Important is your Creative capacity, Capacity for critical reflection, Capacity for growth and innovation and Environmental focus.

The following will be taken into account in the advice of the admissions committee of the 2nd round: the home assignment and the interview, but also the portfolio and motivation letter from the first round will be reviewed by the 2nd committee. The question is whether you have an open attitude and want to learn new things. The decisive factor is whether you show the potential to grow into a designer.

Note: if you pass both entrance exam rounds and are admitted as a student you need to reserve week 35 (26-30 August) in 2024 for the introduction!