Visual Communication (formerly Communication Design, further information below)

Communication design - you will learn content ranging from classic print media to electronic media and applications.

Sugarscroll(Opens in a new tab)  was founded by Prof. Lars Harmsen, Prof. Ulrike Brückner and Alexander Branczyk in 2012/13. Since then, projects from seminars as well as Bachelor's and Master's theses by students at Fachhochschule Dortmund have been shown.
Excursions and lectures are also an important part of teaching.

What makes Fachhochschule Dortmund special? What should you know about the city and the region? How is Fachhochschule Dortmund positioned in terms of internationality and what counseling and support do we offer you? Find out more about Fachhochschule Dortmund.

The Bachelor's degree program in Communication Design may suit you if you have a penchant and skills for artistic design, like to communicate and condense complex contexts into generally understandable messages. Are you ready to analyze, organize, prepare and present extensive content in the best possible way? Then you might enjoy communication design.

The qualification for studying at universities of applied sciences is proven by the certificate of the university of applied sciences entrance qualification or a previous education recognized as equivalent.

Admission to the assessment procedure for the course-related artistic and design aptitude requires registration. This application must be made online on the website of the Faculty of Design. The corresponding dates and deadlines are communicated on the faculty's homepage.

Applicants will be invited to the assessment procedure in writing after the application deadline.

Here you will find current deadlines, information on the work to be submitted and the registration area for the aptitude assessment procedure.(Opens in a new tab) 

The aptitude test consists of a review of the portfolio with the free work and the homework to be completed and - if the assessment committee deems it necessary - a personal interview with the committee. Both steps of the procedure take place on one day.

Tip: Visit the portfolio consultation of the faculty! All questions regarding your studies and portfolio will be discussed individually. A portfolio consultation will definitely help you to find out whether you are a good fit for this study program.

The Faculty of Design will inform applicants in writing of the committee's decision on the results of the procedure. The results are communicated as pass or fail. They must be accompanied by information on legal remedies.

With the result "passed", applicants are awarded the course-related artistic and creative aptitude. If the artistic and creative aptitude for the study program has been finally determined, the aptitude is generally valid for the three enrollment dates following the determination.

Applicants whose artistic/creative aptitude has not been established may participate in the assessment procedure again at the earliest on the following year's deadline.

Students who have already achieved 30 credit points (CP) in a related design course at another university can be exempted from participating in the course-related artistic and creative aptitude assessment upon application. The application must be submitted to the Chairperson of the Examination Board. Officially certified copies of the transcript of records must be submitted to the Chairperson of the Examination Board as proof of academic achievements.

Proof of 420 hours of practical work is deemed to have been provided if the applicant has acquired the qualification for the degree program through the certificate of the university of applied sciences entrance qualification from a higher secondary vocational school for design.

Applicants who have acquired the qualification for the degree program in another way must provide evidence of 420 hours of practical work experience in a field related to communication design. At least half of the internship must be proven at the time of enrollment. The missing time of the internship should be made up at the earliest possible date; the corresponding proof must be submitted before the Bachelor's thesis at the latest.

The internship is deemed to have been completed through a relevant apprenticeship or through a one-year guided internship in the field of art and design or through a six-month relevant internship.

The relevant practical activity of 420 hours must be demonstrated in a professional sector of communication design.

The following list gives you an indication of the areas in which you can complete the relevant practical activity for communication design:

• Advertising departments of industrial or service companies
• advertising agencies
• Graphic design offices, industrial design offices, design offices
• Newspaper publishers, book publishers
• Graphic design companies
• Photo studios
• Paper processing companies
• Bookbinderies
• Print shop
• Typesetting studios
• Repro studios
• Museum, gallery
• Radio and television stations
• Design centers (e.g. for signs, displays, outdoor advertising, neon signs)

The study program starts annually in the winter semester and is admission-free.
However, enrolment for the study program is only possible after recognition of aptitude and fulfilment of the other admission requirements!

Registration office team
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