Looking for right UX design master's programme in Europe

Application strategy
#1

Hello everyone,

my name is Kristian and I’m currently looking for a suitable master’s programme in Europe (As I am from Czech Republic, tuition fee at EU universities are mostly free) to improve my UX skills (I have been working as a UX/UI designer for 3 years now).

I already made some research and here is what I found. (Note: I selected only programmes on the list which tend to me more design than technical oriented. So there should not be that much programming or maths involved.)

Human Computer Interaction - University of Siegen (2 year / free)

Design for interaction - Delft University of Technology (2 year / 4120 EUR)

New Media Design - Tilburg University (1 year / 2060 EUR)

Interaction Design - Umeå University (2 year / free)

Interaction Design - NTNU Trondheim (2 year / free)

Design - Oslo School of Architecture and Design (2 year / free)

User Experience Design - Loughborough University (1 year / 8950 GBP)

Digital and Interaction Design - Politecnico Milano (2 year / 1800 EUR)

Interaction Design and Technologies - Chalmers University (2 year / free)

Why I am interested in studying master’s programme relatex to User Experience Design? Firstly, I have to say that I come from marketing bachelor background. Later I started with UI design which transformed to UX. Now the situation is that my practical skills are quite OK, butIi lack some theoretical aspects of design and design thinking, so I think that it would be great to connect them together with the knowledge which I can get from master’s degree. Another aspect is, that I want to experience foreign conutry/culture + get som student life and of course to extend my network.

I saw extra value in Siegen master’s programme, because the Germany and Switzerland has a strong UX job market. So I was thinking about mastering the German language along my study. The problem is that the programme/university does not look very well and the Siegen has far from ideal student city.

Not shure if the intensity of 1 year master’s programe isn’t too much for me. Are the 2 year master’s programmes more in-depth than the 1 year option?

Btw. Kaiting thank you very much for your blogposts and this website, you are doing a great job :).

Thank you for all your thoughts.

#2

Hi Kristian,

Thanks for sharing the result of your school research. I’ll go through the list and add appropriate schools on the site!

Your reasoning for getting a Master’s degree is solid. And studying in a different country is definitely a great way to experience a foreign culture. My recommendation is that definitely make mastering German your priority! Because a large portion of UX lies in gathering insights from users, so speaking the local language will be super important.

Given that you’ve got 3 years of working experience as a UX/UI designer (I assume you’ve got a portfolio), I feel 1 year should be enough to enhance your theoretical understanding. However, if your goal is to stay and work in a foreign country after graduation, you might need a longer time to raise your foreign language proficiency.

Good luck!

#3

Hi Kristian,

Fantastic summary of Europe universities.

Thanks for sharing! It really helps.

Alex

#4

Hi guys,

little update of my admission process:
-My application to Umeå University was unfortunately rejected. There was about 180 aplicants for only 12 places. University din’t provide any reason for rejection, so I don’t know what I did wrong.
-My application to Malmo, Delft, NTNU, AHO Oslo, Polimi, Loughborough and Polimi is in process.

I am also considering to apply for:

User Experience Design Master at University of Arts London

Service Design Master - Royal College of Arts

According to the QS Top universities ranking they are TOP 2 in the world :).

I have one question regarding the Service design masters programmes. What do you think about it? I work as a UX experience designer and maybe it would by nice to extend my knowledge in this topic. To be honest, sometimes I don’t feel like I have enough power to influence the product/service in the way I want as a UX designer.

Comparison of the salaries between Service designer and UX designer surprises me . Why there is such a large difference?


Thank you!
Kristian

#5

Hi Kristian,

Thanks for sharing the update and good luck for the pending applications!

My two cents regarding Service designer v.s. UX designer:

  • I think that the impact of a designer has little to do with his/her title. A UX designer’s responsibility can definitely include service design and vice versa. It comes down to how the company defines the role and how the designer presents himself/herself.
  • As to the pay difference, my take is that most of the jobs with titles like UX Designer, Interaction Designer or Product Designer (These are basically interchangeable job titles) lie in the tech industry. Hence the pay is higher.
  • On the other hand, if a company specifically calls out that they want a “Service Designer”, it’s likely that the company is dealing with systematic, policy-level or societal-level problems, which might fall under the non-profit or academic sector. Hence the pay is lower.
1 Like
#6

Hello!
Fellow UX designer here from Slovakia. I did my bachelors in software engineering in Prague with some courses in UX/UI design. I decided to pursue UX design career rather than becoming a developer and now I am looking for masters also in Europe. Which university have you chosen and how do you like it?