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Design & Innovation Management

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree: Master of Arts (M.A.)

Design and Innovation Management

The rapid development of digitalisation in every aspect of economy brings forth unprecedented production efficiency, attributing to dramatically increasing demands for new products with forefront design and ever-shorter product life cycles.

Under this trend, specialists with exclusive, interdisciplinary expertise in design and management are needed. Crucial in creating high value-added products and services for consumers, creativity and high-quality design and the resulted innovations are proven to be essential to corporate competitiveness and growth. High-qualified professionals with strong design competence and management skills are to fulfil the double function in companies and organisations to optimise innovation methods and processes while ensuring creative design quality for a sustainable growth.

The FOM Master’s study program “Design & Innovation Management” is developed to meet the market demand for specialised professionals capable of design and innovation management. The program contents, combing the reputable management expertise of FOM University of Applied Sciences and the strength of design and innovation, integrate sound methodological knowledge in the two subject areas as well as soft skills in view of personal development. Through practice-oriented modules, students are to acquire transfer competence to consolidate their practical competence in design and innovation management. A course of advanced business English rounds up the program with an international perspective.

The Master’s degree in Design- and Innovation Management will be completed with the academic degree Master of Arts (M.A.).

Duration

4 Semester including Thesis

Credit Points

120 ECTS

Accreditation (Master)

The FOM University of Applied Sciences is accredited by the German Council for Science and Humanities for its special service to education and research and was the first private university in Germany to receive system-accreditation by the FIBAA in 2012. This seal of approval proves that the quality management of the FOM University meets the high standards of the Accreditation Council, the most important body for the quality of studies and education at German universities. In 2018 the FOM University received system-accreditation for further eight years. Thus, all courses of study offered by the FOM are accredited. A Master’s degree from the FOM University enables entry to a subsequent a PhD programme.

Total costs

13.500,00 euro

including registration fee, tuition fee and examination fee
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Studying in hybrid format

Master’s degree online and on campus

International students from all over the world now also have the opportunity to participate in the Design- and Innovation Management Master’s programme by the FOM Hochschule. The program is offered as a fulltime hybrid model: a mixture of online courses (during the first year) and classes in presence on campus (during the second year).

The hybrid model provides students with a high flexibility. Students have the opportunity to concentrate first on an intensive theoretical study for two semesters online from a place of their choice before expanding their theoretical as well as practical horizon with applied projects for another two semesters on campus in Essen, Germany.

Experience life in Germany and on our campus for the second year, deepen your academic skills and expertise in Design- and Innovation Management, improve your intercultural competencies and interact with other international students.

What you need for admission

University degree¹ (Diplom, Magister, Bachelor, Staatsexamen)

  • worth 180 ECTS
  • proof of prior knowledge in the fields of business administration and design (or related disciplines, such as art) with at least 60  ECTS2 each.

English language proficiency B2 (corresponding to an language level B2 according to GER, e.g. min. 785 points TOEIC or at least 72 points TOEFL IBT)

1) Degree as Magister or Bachelor or with Diplom or Staatsexamen. Degrees from accredited Bachelor's training courses at Berufsakademien are equivalent to Bachelor's degrees from higher education institutions.

2) Alternative for applicants fulfilling the requirement of only one of the mentioned two fields of study: completion of a bridge course in business and/or design.

Studycosts

  • registration fee 1.580,00 euro

    - Participants who have already completed or are taking a course of study or a recognised continuing education programme at one of the institutes belonging to the BCW Group pay half the enrolment fee. 
  • tuition fee 11.570,00 euro
  • examination fee 350,00 euro

    - The examination fee will be charged again if the student resubmits their thesis.
  • total fees 13.500,00 euro

    including registration fee, tuition fee and examination fee

Total fees payable in two installments (before the start of studies) or in three installments. The first installment (enrollment fee of €1,580) is payable upon receipt of the Offer Letter to confirm the place. After that, the rest can be paid in one installment (€11,920). Otherwise, students can split the fees into a second and third installment. The second installment must be paid before the start of the program and includes, among other things, the tuition fees for the first two semesters and the examination fees (2nd installment of €6,830). The third installment must be paid before the start of the 3rd semester and consists of the tuition fees of the 3rd and 4th semester (2nd installment à €5,090).

How to apply
 

Please download the application form at the bottom of this page. 

Step 1: Register your personal data and educational background in the application form.

Step 2: Please send the filled out and signed application form as well as the following documents as certified copies via email to incomings@fom.de:

  • Authenticated copy of General university entrance qualification certificate
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Authenticated copy of Bachelor degree certificate (for details check the admission requirements) 
  • Authenticated copy of Transcript of records Bachelor’s degree
  • If applicable: Authenticated copy of Master degree and diploma
  • Proof of sufficient English language skills (at least B2 proficiency level – for details check the admission requirements)
  • Scan of passport

 

Please always enter your full name as it is mentioned in your passport. If you do not have a last name, please enter "-".

All documents must be in German or English. If your original document is written in another language, you must have your document translated by a certified translator. Please then send a certified copy of the original and the certified translation when applying.

Please send all documents as PDF and name the file as followed: Last name, first name_Study programme (e.g. Smith, Jane_Big Data and Business Analytics). 

Note: Where can I have my documents certified?

  • issuing institutions, e.g. schools, universities and language schools,
  • the Ministry of Education in your home country
  • the German embassies and consulates,
  • the cultural department of the embassy of the country from which the certificate originates,
  • the authorities and notaries who are authorised to carry out official certification in your home country.

Important: Translators are not allowed to certify documents in the original language.

Step 3: After receiving your conditional letter of admission you need to send the registration form as original and certified copies of the other documents via post. (Please do not send original degree certificates!)
Design_Innovation_Management_FOM424bH.pdf
884 KB
application/pdf
Download application form

Flyer

Flyer_Design_Innovation Management_Hybrid_M.pdf
5 MB
application/pdf
Download

Semester Overview

Study programme

Innovation Management (6 CP)

Innovation strategy
Innovation processes
Special features of services and business models
Innovation marketing
Methods/Instruments of idea generation and problem-solving
Challenges and success factors in innovation projects

Design Thinking (7 CP)

General introduction and basics: Design Thinking
(Be-)user requirements
Development of ideas and solutions
Development and testing of prototypes
Implementation of “Design Thinking” in the company

Research Methods (5 CP)

Examination Empirical Research at a Glance
Scientific theoretical basics
Research problem and topic
State of research and theoretical background
Research design
Operationalisation
Sampling and data collection
Data processing and analysis
Presentation of results

Business Plan (6 CP)

Business plan
Product/Company Life Cycle
Growth phase
Maturity phase
Saturation phase
Approaches to business and management ethics

Advanced Business English (6 CP)

Study skills
Business communication
Processing information in written and spoken business related material
Writing skills for business and study purposes
Vocabulary
Grammar
Language skills development

Design Management (7 CP)

Design history
Media design
Production
Design usability
Design experience
Design transfer of brand values to any product & service portfolio

Information & Knowledge Management (5 CP)

Introduction
Theories and Models
Organisation
Systems and Strategies
Implementation of knowledge management
Current developments in information and knowledge management

Leadership & Sustainability (6 CP)

Normative, strategic and operational management
Leadership theories
Leadership styles, techniques and instruments
Use of situation-appropriate moderation techniques
Strategic negotiation preparation
Roles of managers
Design of work situations
Personality and social skills
Diversity management and interculturality
Corporate governance
Leadership in an intercultural context
Ethics and sustainability
Ethics and economics
Implications for leadership and managers
Mission statement with sustainability
3-Pillar model

Service Engineering (6 CP)

(New) role of service in business models of manufacturing companies
Classification in value chain and in value networks
Influence of Industry 4.0, digitalisation and big data
After Sales Service
Service engineering, innovation (service creation), customer integration, instruments and methods
Service quality and transition to service management: definition, design and evaluation

Strategy & Entrepreneurship (5 CP)

Introduction to entrepreneurship
Product and business model development
Business start-up and financing
Company growth

Design Workshop (5 CP)

Project planning and organisation
Understanding problem area
Capturing and understanding the stakeholders
Gaining knowledge in team
Idea development with adequate methods
Development of prototypes
Evaluation of results

International Property Rights (5 CP)

The most important international agreements with significance for patent law
EPO: European Patent Convention (EPC)
EU: upcoming innovations in patent law
EU: regulations on the enforcement of intellectual property rights
Main features of international patent contract law
Overview of patent strategies

Future & Trend Management (5 CP)

Innovation funnel
Operationalising „design“ in the context of future management:
Trend research (outside-in)
Future management (inside-out):
Assessment know-how, success factors, reflection

Brand & Communication Management (6 CP)

Corporate Management
Brand Management
International Brand
Development and design of communication campaigns
Communication Management
7 Ps vs. 4 Ps.
Communication, media & brand sociology
Integrated communication
Creative design of individual communication channels
Channel design

Digitalisation & Industy 4.0 (5 CP)

Digital and analog business models
Digital and analog business processes
Digitalisation
Internet technology/-ies
Industry 4.0 in production
Industry 4.0 in services
From production and consumption to prosumption and produsage
Ethics, opportunities and risks
Application cases

Practical Simulation: Design Concept (5 CP)

Consolidation of the first 2 semesters by means of a practical case simulation
Application of learned methodological skills
Transfer of scientific contents into a simulated professional practice
Evaluation of the own teaching-learning process

Practical Simulation: Communication Concept (5 CP)

Consolidation of the first 3 semesters by means of a practical case simulation
Application of learned methodological skills
Transfer of scientific contents into a simulated professional practice
Evaluation of the own teaching-learning process

Master’s thesis and colloquium (25 CP)

Subject to change.