1. Bern University of Applied Sciences
  2. Bern Academy of the Arts
  3. Studies
  4. Bachelor’s degree programmes
  5. Transformation Design
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Transformation Design

In the Bachelor of Arts in Transformation Design your creative passion contributes to shaping processes of social and organisational change.

You will work in interdisciplinary teams on projects with our professional partner organisations, combining design with sustainability, economics and ethics. Studying full- or part time, you will develop the skills to reimagine outdated structures by applying innovative approaches.

This is a new degree programme.

Begin your studies on 20 September 2027.

Factsheet

  • Title/Degree Bachelor of Arts (BA)
  • Mode of study Full-time (6 semesters)
    Part-time (8 semesters)
  • Start date 20 September 2027
  • Application deadline 1 March 2027
  • ECTS credits 180 ECTS
  • Teaching language German / English
  • Location Bern
  • School Bern Academy of the Arts
  • Next info event 25 november 2026

Contact

Focus Areas

Transformation Design is about shaping social, economic and political change. You will focus on examining relationships, processes and systems.

How You Will Benefit From This Degree

You will learn to understand complex challenges, shape processes of change and successfully implement projects. As an integral part of the programme, you will work on real issues in society, business and politics and develop concrete solutions together with partner organisations. As part of this process, you will acquire methods for identifying opportunities and scope for action, testing ideas, and driving change effectively. At the same time, you will gain valuable project experience and build a broad network for your future career.

You will learn to understand complexity and social systems, to identify where there is a need for change and to navigate social and organisational development.

You will develop the ability to create scope for action and to responsibly initiate, facilitate and support processes of change.

Together with our practice partners, you will work collaboratively and creatively on projects addressing real-world issues – from climate and social issues to neighbourhood development, innovation and organisational development. Design methods will help you to explore possibilities, develop future scenarios and generate concrete impulses for transformation.

You will learn to develop project concepts, shape processes and bring ideas to life through prototypes, interventions and experiments – from analysis to implementation.

By working with partners from civil society, the cultural sector culture, business and other organisations, as well as taking modules across BFH's eight departments, you will build a diverse network early on and learn to operate professionally in a range of contexts.

Partners + Exchange

The HKB fosters a network of relationships with other universities, both in Switzerland and abroad. It collaborates with domestic and international partners on various projects. The HKB is also a member of several national and international organisations and networks.

In the semester projects, you will work alongside partners from Switzerland and abroad.

The HKB has cooperation agreements with the following universities that teach transformation design or comparable design approaches:

In addition, the BA Transformation Design has a network of partners from business, society, administration and culture (selection):

Within HKB, this programme cooperates closely with the Master of Arts in Design and the Institute of Design Research (IDR).

Combining Theory and Practice in Research Projects

We emphasise close links between teaching, practice and research. Throughout your time at HKB, you will gain both valuable work experience and the opportunity to engage with current research in art and design.
Our close affiliation with the Master of Arts in Design and the Institute of Design Research ensures that you will also profit from their teaching and research:

Career Prospects

Our Bachelor’s degree in Transformation Design prepares you for careers focused on shaping change and fostering innovation. In the course of your studies you will acquire a diverse set of skills and competences while gaining access to a wide range of professional fields.

Your expertise as a Transformation Designer is in demand in sectors such as:

  • Public administration
  • Education
  • NGOs
  • Finance and management
  • Healthcare 
  • Media
  • Industry
  • Banking and insurance
  • Research

Are you ready for challenging roles?

Our interdisciplinary degree programme equips you for professions in fields that engage with social and organisational innovation. The unique profile you build while studying for your degree will qualify you for variety of roles in companies and organisations, including:

  • Service Designer
  • User Experience (UX) Designer
  • Innovation Manager
  • Sustainability Consultant
  • Sustainability Designer
  • Innovation Strategist
  • Organisational Developer
  • Researcher in the field of social innovation

Further Study Options

With a Bachelor of Arts in Transformation Design, you will be eligible to continue your studies by enrolling in a Master of Arts at the BFH. These advanced programmes allow you to further develop your practice, apply your creative problem-solving skills and enhance your research qualifications:

Duration + Content

The full-time Bachelor of Arts in Transformation Design degree programme lasts 3 years and is divided into 6 semesters. Following consultation with the programme director, you have the option of studying part-time (8 to 9 semesters).

Full-time and part-time study

Studying Full-time

The programme lasts 3 years and comprises 180 ECTS credits.
You will complete your degree after 6 semesters with a Bachelor’s thesis.

Working and Studying

The full-time programme requires a workload of up to 40 hours per week. You can work alongside your studies. However, to ensure you have sufficient time for studying, lectures, projects and exam preparation, we recommend working a maximum of 8 hours per week.

Studying Part-time

The part-time degree programme lasts 4 years, with the option to extend, and comprises 180 ECTS credits. You will complete the programme with a Bachelor’s thesis. The weekly workload for part-time study is just over half that of the full-time programme.

The actual workload varies depending on the number of modules taken. The reduced workload per semester is achieved by alternating module and project semesters. You spread your modules and projects across different semesters. Experience has shown that a part-time degree programme is manageable while working around 40 percent (around 16 hours a week). Under certain conditions, some of your professional experience may count towards your degree.

Study Plan

The programme is based on practice-oriented projects with partner organisations and tailored support. The practical component is complemented by seminars, contributions by professional and academic guest speakers, as well as team workshops designed to foster resilience. Each semester begins and ends with group sessions and reflection exercises that support the shared learning and development process.

The curriculum is divided into three core module groups while also offering a high degree of flexibility: you can choose and combine over 80 percent of the programme to suit your individual interests. At the end of each semester, assemblies bring together students from different year groups, providing an opportunity to share your experience and needs, and contribute directly to the further development of the programme.

In the 5th semester, you can study abroad at a partner university or undertake an internship with a partner organisation in Switzerland or abroad. You complete your degree with a Bachelor Thesis in the 6th semester.

Module Structure

The curriculum is structured around three core module clusters: Understand, Implement and Develop.

The didactic Model of the BA Transformation Design accordung to module groups. Enlarge image

Understand – Knowledge and Comprehension

This module cluster provides theoretical and practical knowledge from a range of contexts and disciplines, laying the foundations for a reflective design practice. You will acquire the knowledge and skills to apply in the semester projects. The Understand modules are divided into context and methods courses. Together, these two components foster an in-depth understanding of design as an interplay of contextual knowledge, critical reflection and methodological practice.

Methods Courses

The methods courses focus on specific design skills. They explore the approaches, processes and tools required to develop and test ideas and translate them into practice. Introductory courses cover the following fundamentals:

  • Developing methodological and conceptual familiarity with different design approaches
  • Insight into the practices of various designers and design approaches
  • Fundamentals of relations, formats, content and contexts in design as preparation for independent application in projects
  • Developing an understanding of design as a discipline in the context of social transformation
  • Building a fundamental understanding of systemic interrelationships in the context of responsible design
  • Focusing on relationships, interactions and dynamics of social systems
  • Developing systems thinking as an approach to dealing with complexity and uncertainty
  • Making systemic interrelationships visible through visual, linguistic and spatial methods, as well as initial interventions
  • Introducing prototyping as a key method for thinking, research and design
  • Using prototypes as experimental and communicative artefacts to test assumptions and hypotheses
  • Iterative, hands-on and participatory work on complex problems
  • Introduction to the workshop facilities for independent use throughout the degree programme
  • Understanding projects as formative processes of organisation, knowledge generation and implementation
  • Developing projects as spaces for learning and impact, where design and change converge
  • Applying cycles of planning, implementation and strategic development in a co-design context
  • Working with frameworks from the fields of innovation, design project management and stakeholder management
  • Fundamentals of communication and collaboration in design processes
  • Understanding coherence in group processes and the design of spaces for change and learning
  • Exploring communication as a structuring element of social systems
  • Applying facilitation methods to support collaborative processes
  • Developing fundamental skills in the publication and communication of design and transformation processes
  • Developing formats for documenting, visualising and presenting projects and findings
  • Reflecting on communication as an active component of change
  • Exploring responsibility, visibility and impact in public and academic contexts
  • The module imparts a reflective and methodologically grounded approach to research.
  • Students are introduced to key scientific theories as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. They collect and analyse data and critically examine the interplay between objectivity, subjectivity and reflection.
  • Design is understood as a research-based practice that generates new knowledge through action, experimentation and analysis, providing a sound basis for design decisions.

Context Courses

The context courses focus on understanding current challenges and problem areas. These include the social, cultural, technological and historical contexts in which design operates. The elective Context courses cover the following fundamental topics:

  • Examining the ecological and social challenges of our era, shaped by human activity
  • Introduction to key concepts in sustainability research
  • Developing an understanding of current issues at the intersection of ethics, ecology and society
  • Reflecting on the responsibility of design in the context of global transformation
  • Developing familiarity with digital space as a social and creative sphere of action
  • Acquiring fundamental skills in navigating digital environments and their potential for design
  • Exploring data, participation and digital communities
  • Developing your own approaches to digital interventions and transformations
  • Acquiring fundamental knowledge of organisations and their change processes
  • Introduction to the theoretical foundations of organisational structures and current challenges
  • Developing an understanding of decision-making processes and social dynamics within organisations
  • Reflecting on and applying strategies for shaping organisational change
  • Exploring social change and its key dynamics
  • Introduction to sociological and political theories of transformation
  • Developing the ability to critically assess processes of transformation
  • In-depth exploration of interdisciplinary perspectives such as agency, socio-technical transitions, multi-level change and just transition, as well as reflecting on narratives of progress and time

Implement – Application, Analysis, Evaluation

In this module cluster, you will work in teams on projects during each of the first four semesters. Each semester project begins with a real-world challenge posed by a company or organisation. Projects are collaborative learning spaces and co-design processes centered on practical application, self-organisation, independent experimentation and collaborative learning.

Develop – Reflection and Expansion

Individual mentoring, team supervision and joint workshops promote the development of reflective skills and the ability to develop and articulate a considered position. Through learning portfolios and sensemaking workshops, students document their learning process and learn to communicate them as a coherent narrative of personal development. This module group also encompasses the 5th semester, which includes an internship or a semester abroad, and the 6th semester, during which students write their Bachelor’s thesis.

Admission Requirements

The number of places on the programme is limited (‘numerus clausus’). Suitability for the degree programme is assessed through an entrance examination. We expect a high level of motivation, perseverance, resilience and independence, as well as a willingness to play an active part in university projects.

Academic Requirements

You will be admitted to the degree programme with:

  • a federal vocational baccalaureate
  • a gymnasial baccalaureate
  • a specialised baccalaureate
  • an equivalent degree

In exceptional cases, the HKB may waive these specific academic requirements for candidates with exceptional creative or artistic talent.

The Bachelor’s programme in Transformation Design aims to attract applicants from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. This commitment to diversity encourages a variety of life experiences, cultural perspectives and social contexts in order to promote a broad spectrum of viewpoints and approaches within the programme.

Supplementary Information on Admission

  • Creativity
  • Capacity for analytical and complex thinking
  • Analytical skills and systemic thinking 
  • Communication skills
  • Social competence
  • Digital competence

German and English, at least Level B1

The individual assessment may result in a conditional requirement to obtain the necessary language certificates.

International applicants will require authentic and valid identification recognized by Switzerland; a visa may often be required. Successful international applicants must apply for a residence permit, and submit proof of sufficient funds. Prior to starting their studies, they will be required to obtain health insurance cover. Applicants should make sure they are fully informed about and compliant with their specific entry requirements for Switzerland.

The available places are allocated on the basis of an assessment, which consists of two stages:

Stage 1: Assessment of Application Documents and Portfolios

The entry assessment committee evaluates the submitted documents, including CV, degrees/certificates, any references and the letter of motivation, as well as the portfolio. Based on this review, you will either be invited to the Assessment Day or receive a rejection.

Stage 2: Assessment Day

On this occasion, candidates take part in a group practice session, during which they work on a specific task. The individual assessment of your performance at this stage determines the final decision: your rejection or acceptance to the programme.

Informations on the admission procedure

Application

So, you have decided to study at the Bern Academy of the Arts?
Then do not hesitate and apply right now!

Application Deadlines

Application deadline: 1 March 2027
Assessment: March 2027
Start date: 20 September 2027

Begin your studies in autumn 2027.

Application Type

You can only apply for your studies online.

Application Documents

Please submit the following documents in electronic format (passport photo: JPG, other documents: PDF).

  • ID or passport
  • Passport photo according to international passport requirements (JPG)
  • Diplomas and leaving certificates (e.g. vocational baccalaureate/specialised baccalaureate with grades, university entrance qualification, Abitur or upper secondary level qualification)
  • Curriculum vitae in tabular form
  • A personal statement about your motivation for these studies and for your professional aspirations
  • Copies of all relevant certificates
  • Employer references (internship certificates)
  • Language certificates (if available)

For International Students, in Addition

  • Residence permit (if available)

If You Were Already Matriculated at Another University

  • Confirmation of termination of matriculation
  • Transcript of records of current and/or terminated studies

If you do not yet have one or more of the required documents, please state why in the Comments section.

Transgender Identities

Would you prefer us to address you differently to the details recorded in your official documents?

Please register the first name you go by and your gender (if binary) at the application stage, to ensure that we address you correctly during the application process. The relevant form is available on the BFH website. Please upload the completed form together with your application.

Supplementary Application Documents

Please submit a portfolio in digital form. As an application portfolio, it should include selected examples of your work and projects. It serves to showcase the applicant’s individual motivation, skills and experience, and is therefore an important supplement to the letter of motivation.

The structure of the portfolio is, in principle, entirely up to you. You may present 1–3 selected pieces of work or projects from educational, professional or voluntary contexts. These examples should demonstrate skills and interests relevant to the degree programme. One of the projects may be presented in greater detail, for example by describing the problem, the chosen approach, the results achieved and a personal reflection. You may use sketches, images and/or text.

As part of your online application, under ‘Additional Documents’, please upload your portfolio as a single, continuous PDF file. Links to websites are also permitted. The file must not exceed 25 MB. If you wish to include other file formats, please insert hyperlinks into the PDF. This will allow you to provide links to websites, large images, and audio and video files – stored on Dropbox or similar platforms.

The costs for the study program consist of registration, tuition and examination fees as well as contributions for teaching materials and excursions.

Application (per application) and aptitude assessment*

CHF 300

Tuition fees (per semester)

CHF 850
 
Tuition fees for international students (per semester)
Reasons for residence other than study when starting studies BFH CHF 850
Transitional arrangements for students who started their studies at BFH before autumn 2026 (until change of degree programme) CHF 1,050
Stay for study purposes at the start of studies at BFH (payment in instalments available) CHF 2,550
 

Examination fee (per semester)

CHF 80

Fee for social, cultural and sport offerings (per semester)

CHF 24

Membership fee for the Bern University of Applied Sciences Student Association (VSBFH) (per semester)

CHF 15

Leave of absence fee (per semester)

CHF 100

* The application fee can be paid by credit card or by deposit slip / paper invoice (+ CHF 10 processing fee). There are no waivers or refunds for withdrawn or abandoned applications. The application is processed after payment has been received.

There is also a fixed fee for materials whose amount depends on the degree programme as well as additional costs for teaching materials, specialist literature, supplies, etc.

Fees factsheet valid per AS 2026/27 (PDF, 117 KB)
General information about scholarships


If you have any questions regarding scholarships and loans please contact the Secretariat HKB Design and Fine Arts.

Advice + Information

Advice

Choosing a degree programme is an important decision. We will be happy to arrange a face-to-face chat to answer your questions and advise you on the requirements for your chosen programme.

Emilia Lischke

  • Leiterin BA Transformation Design
  • +41 31 848 37 56

Secretariat HKB Design and Fine Arts

  • +41 31 848 38 48

The Bern University of Applied Sciences offers students a wide range of opportunities at its locations in Bern, Biel, Burgdorf and Basel to make life attractive and enjoyable during their studies.

Take a look at ‘Studies + Life’

Information Event

At our information events, you can find out everything you need to know about the degree programme, admission requirements and your career prospects. Our students talk about their experiences on the programme and give you a personal insight into their everyday life at the Academy of the Arts HKB.

  • Information Event

Bachelor Transformation Design

What does it mean to study Transformation Design? Our info session will give you the answer!

25.11.2026 – HKB, Fellerstrasse 11, 3027 Bern

Location + Facilities

Location

Bern Fellerstrasse 11
Division Design and Fine Arts

Facilities

The workshop promotes the sensitisation of the perception of materials and their processing according to creative-artistic aspects. The team conducts learning opportunities and accompanies projects by students and lecturers. Assistance and support in the realisation of works and ideas as well as advice on the purchase of materials are offered. A professional and generous infrastructure including wood, metal, plastics, ceramics and textiles is available. The range is supplemented by the material pool, an extensive collection of samples of various materials and processing methods.

The MediaLab is the competence centre of the HKB for audiovisual design and photography. Its staff hold courses, offer photography and AV training and advise students and lecturers at the HKB on content and technical issues. The workplaces and studios are equipped with an extensive production infrastructure and are available around the clock. Students at the HKB have the opportunity to use equipment outside of the MediaLab for the implementation and presentation of audiovisual and photographic projects.

In the printing studio you will find the HKB expertise for manual printing techniques. Its staff not only offer various courses in screen printing, gravure printing and letterpress printing, but also support students in their projects, if required. After attending an introductory course and after consultation with the responsible lecturers, students can also work independently in the printing studio outside opening hours.

The Media Library is the library of the departments of Design and Art, Conservation and Restoration, the Y Institute (Institute for Transdisciplinarity) and Research. It is open to members of the HKB as well as external users. 35,000 media are directly available in the open access library, including approximately 300 periodicals. As a member of the NEBIS network (Network of Libraries and Information Centres in Switzerland), it provides access to more than seven million titles in more than 300 libraries. These titles can be accessed online.