Masters in Design & Product Management

The Master's degree in "Design & Product Management" imparts in-depth skills in strategy, design, implementation, management and testing of product and service projects. "Design & Product Management" stands for the networking of marketing and design, wants to make "Design Thinker" fit for management positions and company foundations.

Why a design & product management master’s degree at the Salzburg University of FH Salzburg ?

Transformation design and design leadership are secretly the goals of the master's degree. Because design and marketing are questionable at first. They are some of the biggest producers of waste in society and, with coveted product concepts, encourage people to throw away generations of devices that are actually functional.

However, the power of these disciplines can also be used together to bring about positive social change, and this is what the course should focus on. It is a great social resource that lies in the study papers and master theses. They should be further developed and also manifest radically new product-service concepts. Just leadership.

This requires solid training. In addition to refining the respective creative background, good empirical knowledge of primarily qualitative market research, marketing and product management is important in order to be able to face future challenges. They develop the skills to have an innovative effect as intrapreneurs in the company, but at the same time they receive the tools to start their own business.

The most important things about the Master's degree in Design & Product Management

Platform for the exchange of opinions and ideas, for visions

The master's program at the Salzburg University of FH Salzburg offers you methodical, scientific and practical training in areas such as marketing & branding, design leadership, design management, business modeling or design testing.

Building on your solid basic education, the master's degree offers the opportunity to reflect, to think through completely new topics and aspects that have been neglected so far, and thus to acquire skills that go beyond pure knowledge acquisition.

There is enough time in projects to really think through concepts thoroughly and to develop alternatives to current actions. These basic visions are ultimately the added value of the training, making you fit for companies or start-ups, because this conceptual work is often neglected in ongoing operations.

Innovative for almost 20 years

entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs

Thankfully, the "Design & Product Management" course was founded by the pioneers of the Austrian Furniture Industry Association and cultural intellectuals at the turn of the millennium because they wanted to develop strong brands in Austria's furniture industry. Some things have improved in the meantime - thanks to the active help of numerous dpm graduates - but there is still enough to do. The following still applies: just producing good quality is not enough, it must be designed in a way that is appropriate for the target group and marketed professionally and strategically. Only what is ultimately perceived by the customer is quality.

Right from the start, the founders wrote in the course logbook: Never just concentrate on one industry, always ask to see the bigger picture. Learning from others, not reducing complexity for the wrong reasons of simplicity, but really making the effort of interdisciplinarity and thinking through design - and thus the corporate concept - broadly.

Design is the concept behind the product and company, or as Otl Aicher put it: "The designer is the philosopher of the company".

The aim of the Master's degree in Design & Product Management is to meet the need for strategically thinking designers and product managers who are confident in making decisions on design issues and who develop solutions to complex problems in the economy, companies and society.

Broad areas of responsibility

Graduates have perspectives as designers and product managers with a wide range of activities in small and medium-sized companies or as designers or product managers specifically employed in larger companies with tasks in the following areas:

• Design: Management of the design process, development of independent design language, design strategy and management, product design, visualization, etc.
• Product management: briefing of new product ideas, strategies, project management, market research, acceptance analysis, brand identity, branding, corporate identity, distribution, POS, etc.
• Development: Research and strategy, product and design testing, new materials and functions, quality management, etc.
• Media: art direction, advertising, graphics, packaging, communication, etc.

Companies today also face the problem of largely saturated and globalized consumer goods markets, rapid innovation and constantly evolving consumer needs. In order not to lose touch, design is increasingly gaining importance in companies. Differentiation from the competition and the development of completely new answers to the needs of our time are decisive criteria for sustainable corporate success (cf. Eser, S./Leube, M. (ed.) (2017): Circular Design in Practice. Strategies and concepts for designing the new, regenerative circular economy).

That is why we train strategically thinking designers and product managers who are confident in making decisions on design issues, who think innovation systematically and proceed in a planned and scientific manner.

Program structure

Creative visionary. Strategically. design leadership.

Basically, the master's degree in Design & Product Management is structured as follows, whereby the theoretical and methodological content is taught intensively at the beginning and decreases over time so that the fourth semester can be devoted exclusively to the master's thesis:

• First semester: Essential basics and, depending on previous education, adjustment courses, interdisciplinary deepening of skills in design, marketing, technology, project management and innovation.
• Second/third semester: in-depth studies, research, strategy development and experimental project development, inspiration through excursions (mandatory) and semester abroad at one of our numerous partner institutions (desirable in the 3rd and/or 4th semester).
• Fourth semester: Master's thesis (also possible in cooperation with companies or in a semester abroad).

The master's degree can be taken as part of a degree. 15 ECTS are completed each semester instead of 30 in a full degree. Attendance is mostly mandatory.

Specialization and Choices

The master’s program offers credits that can be chosen freely in each semester for an individual focus. In addition to a number of electives, specializations are planned:

The following specializations are possible and also form the thematic blocks of the master theses:

• Strategy & Research: Theoretical/empirical studies on society and the professional field for needs research and new service and product categories based on this - but also strategic dramaturgy for interior or shop design in particular.
• Entrepreneurship / Intrapreneurship: New business models and the brand, service, sales and product concepts behind them, such as the Amenite project or the many blocked jobs for Recaro or Daimler, for example.
• Circular Design: Visionary use of the latest materials from materials research, such as Project Scramble or Merhaba.
• Circular Economy: New business models and a recyclable overall view of the model
• Circular Society: New living environments and designs with a lasting impact

project orientation

In the team and individual projects that are obligatory from the first semester onwards, individual strengths are to be strengthened and weaknesses gradually improved. The curriculum and the entire course of study are geared towards working on demanding brand/service/product projects. Intensive project coaching and advice accompany the students right from the start.

theory and reflection

The theoretical subjects impart the necessary tools to develop projects at a high level. Testing these increases the competence for reflection and argumentation.

team and communication

Students learn leadership to manage themselves, creative teams and complex projects. Presenting ideas and solutions persuasively is learned during the course as well as communication with different stakeholder groups.

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Designers from various bachelor's degrees, managers and technicians work together on innovative concepts and sustainable solutions. Different competencies and professional backgrounds are combined in interdisciplinary project teams.

At the end of your studies you will write your master's thesis. The aim is to achieve a depth of processing that explores new avenues for business and society. It is up to the students to decide whether it is a visionary study or a brand/service/product concept that can be implemented immediately.

semester abroad

The areas of design and product management are extremely internationally oriented. That is why we actively support a stay abroad as part of your training at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences.