Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art
Eco-Social Innovation by Design
Contact
- General inquiries
- Responsible
-
(General) Vicky Kiefer: vicky.kiefer@hslu.ch
Co-Project Head - Program Development (content-related questions) Dr. Chris Doering: chris.doering@hslu.ch
Key Information
- Institution
-
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art (D&K).
- Degree-granting partner institution
-
National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, India.
- Supervision
-
The PhD students carry out their research projects under the joint supervision of a guide (first supervisor) from the NID and a co-guide (second supervisor) from the HSLU.
- Place of Study
-
PhD students generally conduct their research projects individually and independent of location. Students are expected to travel to the NID at least twice during their studies (module attendance, defence of the dissertation).
- Duration
-
Full-time study: three years; part-time study: five years
- Languages
-
English
- Number of Candidates
-
Two or three PhD candidates per year.
- Workload
- Funding
-
Doctoral grants are not available. In most cases, the doctorate is pursued independently without funding from the university. However, depending on the extent to which the candidate’s proposed dissertation aligns with the research focus and ongoing projects of Lucerne School Design, Film and Art, they may be offered a paid position. Doctoral students are then employed as research associates in one of the research groups for a fixed term of three to a maximum of five years within the framework of the HSLU “working time model".
- Enrollment
-
The PhD students will be enrolled at the NID.
- Tuition Fees
-
Fees for the doctoral program are paid at NID and amount to USD 2,000 per year.
Key research themes and fields
The PhD program "Eco-Social Innovation by Design" is open to design educators and professionals seeking to expand their knowledge base and reinvent their practice while pushing the boundaries of the design disciplines through the creation of new ‘grounded’ theories. In doing so, we encourage prospective design researchers to "learn by doing" and to learn in a practice setting.
To ensure high-quality supervision, PhD projects should explore topics that align with the work of one of the Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art's four research groups, and with the NID’s key research areas and PhD program.
Admission
- Requirements
-
Master's degree in Design; Language skills: Advanced English skills (C1/C2) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); Candidates must show a demonstrable interest in a research area that aligns with the thematic research foci at the NID and HSLU, Details on the admission criteria are provided in NID’s PhD Handbook and the program ordinances.
- Application documents
-
A research proposal in English that encompasses approximately 20’000 characters in length and reflects on the proposed research project. Required content:
- Overview of the broader field of study or general background, on the context of the research
- Literature review illustrating the context of the research, including a list of references and/or a bibliography
- Research problem and scope of the proposed project; rationale for and the significance of the study
- Research questions and objectives of the study
- Approach/methodology to be followed
- Candidate’s skills, knowledge and research or work experience relevant to the study
- The research project’s potential contribution to knowledge formation in the chosen field
- Presentation of how practice and research objectives relate to each other.
In addition, the following information must be enclosed: CV: 2 pages maximum or link to online profile; optional: portfolio: showcase of prior practice-based research and/or art/design practice; budget plan: for any additional project costs incurred for materials, traveling, etc.
- Procedure
-
Applications are possible once a year. The multi-stage selection process is conducted by the NID and exclusively takes place online. Both the NID and the HSLU are represented on the selection committee. Candidates who meet the criteria will be admitted to the admission process at the NID and present their proposal in an online interview.
Program Structure
Individual mentoring meetings
PhD candidates meet regularly with their supervisors by individual appointment.
Doctoral students can also choose from a complementary program of more than 100 courses offered by both partner universities. These include methods, research ethics, writing retreats and research approaches.
Positionings
Monthly series of online lectures we invite inspiring guests from science, politics, business and society to take a stand, share their positions and explore with us potential contributions from the arts and design towards sustainable development.
Explorations
Bi-weekly online doctoral workshop, to come together to learn from each other's research work, theoretical and practical approaches, conceptual frameworks, and methodologies - and to cultivate a spirit of mutual support, shared learning, and academic discourse among peers.
Dispositions
In this series of online lectures, guest speakers talk about their approach in practice research, share their positions and explore with us potential of practice-oriented research from design, film and fine arts. The lectures take place once every semester.
Program Completion
- Thesis
-
The results of the research work shall be submitted in the form of a practice-oriented contribution, i.e. any form of design intervention. This could be objects, visualizations, prototypes, digital media, exhibitions, concepts, processes or any other form, which can be chosen individually. In addition, the creative contribution shall be theoretically contextualized in a dissertation thesis of at least 60,000 words (cf. Ordinances of NID). The general conditions for the form of the expected contributions are agreed upon together with the DAC in a written dissertation agreement.
- Examination
- Academic title
-
The academic degree "Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Design" is awarded by the NID. Both universities and the names of all supervisors are listed by name on the certificate.