Communication Design and Media – Diploma

The purpose of the Communication Design course is to enable students to design media, taking into account aesthetic, social and economic factors. Therefore, an equal amount of time is spent on artistic, scientific and technical issues in the course.

Communication Design is, first and foremost, the design of visual communication; however, it also extends to communication strategies as well as language communication.

During the foundation course, students are presented with an overview of artistic, social, scientific and technical principles in a structured system of courses. The main period of the course is predominantly project oriented; students are given the opportunity to specialise in various fields according to their requirements and leanings.

In addition to the subjects taught, communicative behaviour and the ability to work as part of a team are important skills which are promoted and applied in the project-oriented course.

The course of study promotes a sound and critical perception of the development of media and also addresses the political and ethical dimensions of modern mass communication. The wide range of issues dealt with in the course and the methods, findings and experiences conveyed offer multifaceted career opportunities for the graduates as designers or artists: e.g. working in advertising or design agencies, in publishing houses and for television companies, as well as opportunities for jobs in the fields of photography, film and web design.

Study Counseling

Theoretical principles semesters 1 to 3:
  • Cultural Sciences
  • Communication Sciences
  • Communication Technology
Practical principles semesters 1 to 3:
  • Artistic Principles
  • Principles of Verbal Communication
  • Principles of Design
  • Technology

The main period of study comprises five semesters with one semester for the dissertation. The essential element concerns the project study. The main period of study is divided into the areas of practical design subjects, scientific-theoretical fields and the comprehensive field of artistic, scientific and practical subject groups.

Theory of Media semesters 4 to 8:
  • Cultural Sciences
  • Communication Sciences
Project study semesters 4 to 8:
  • Print Media
  • Advertising/CI
  • Film/TV/Video/Audio 
  • Photography
  • Multimedia
  • Illustration/Animation
  • Free Art
  • Typography/Font Design
  • Cultural Sciences
  • Communication Sciences
  • Technical Sciences
  • Economics
Compulsory optional subjects, semesters 4 to 8:
  • Free Art/Experimental Design
  • Typography
  • Font Design
  • Multimedia Design
  • Text Design/Creative Writing
  • Marketing/Management
  • Illustration/Computer Design
  • Photography
  • Film/Video
  • Foreign Languages

Course Content

The foundation course runs for three semesters and is clearly structured. The aim of the foundation course is to convey to the students the artistic, theoretical, design and technical basic requirements to enable them to work independently on projects in the main part of the course.

Job Description

As a general rule, the period of work experience takes place in semester five although it can also be freely arranged within the main period of study. It can be completed in Germany or in a foreign country, and suitable places for this internship are with publishing houses, graphic design and advertising agencies, radio and TV companies, cultural institutions, press offices and larger printing companies. The period of work experience may also be completed at the University.

After graduating as a Diplom-Designer (FH), communication designers can expect to find employment in all areas of media production, such as, for example in:

  • Book and magazine publishing houses,
  • Graphic design and advertising agencies,
  • TV broadcasting organisations and film companies,
  • Multimedia companies and
  • in the construction of trade fair and exhibition stands.

 It is also possible to specialise in areas of work such as illustration, graphic design, exhibition concepts etc., some of the graduates work as freelancers or in smaller designer groups.

Facts

Academic Degree

Diplom - Designer (FH) (Dipl.-Des. (FH))

Faculty

Design

Campus / Distance learning

Studies on campus

Normal period

8 Semester

Start of studies

to the winter semester

Place of study

Wismar

Classroom Languages

german

Conditions for admission
  • Hochschul- bzw. Fachhochschulreife

 oder

  • Nachweis des Abschlusses einer anderen Vorbildung, die im Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern als gleichwertig anerkannt wird

 oder

  • Bestehen einer Zugangsprüfung (für Bewerber ohne Hochschul- bzw. Fachhochschulreife) nach mindestens zweijähriger Berufsausbildung und mindestens dreijähriger beruflicher Tätigkeit in einem Berufsfeld, welches einen unmittelbaren Sachzusammenhang zum angestrebten Studiengang aufweist.

 oder

  • Bestehen einer Prüfung als Abschluss einer Fortbildung zum Meister/ Meisterin nach dem Berufsbildungsgesetz oder der Handwerksordnung in der jeweils gültigen Fassung

 sowie

  • Nachweis über ein Vorpraktikum von mindestens 8 Wochen in Betrieben und Einrichtungen der Medien- und Kommunikationsdienstleistung, -technik und -produktion, von denen 4 Wochen vor Beginn des Studiums absolviert sein müssen

 und

  • erfolgreiche Teilnahme an der Prüfung über den Nachweis einer entsprechenden künstlerischen Befähigung – dieses Verfahren beinhaltet die Einreichung einer Mappe mit künstlerisch-gestalterischen Arbeiten, die Abgabe einer Hausaufgabe sowie eine Eignungsprüfung.