The purpose of this guide is to provide you with a general overview of the courses that are offered to you during your exchange period at Konstfack and IA. Please keep in mind that this is not a course syllabi. Syllabus are available on our website, and you can ask for more detailed course descriptions from our administrative officers at the department.
Language
The bachelor courses are held in Swedish. Some courses can be offered in a combination of both Swedish and English. The theory classes are held in Swedish and therefore the exchange students are exempted from these courses. Exchange students with sufficient knowledge of Swedish are welcome to take any suitable courses offered in our bachelor program including the theory courses provided that they meet the requirements of the course.
Admission
When you are admitted to Konstfack´s exchange program and IA you will be placed in either the 2nd year or the 3rd year of the bachelor program.
Week numbers
In Sweden we use week numbers instead of conventional calendar dates.
Weeks numbers refer to the number of week in a year, starting with week 1 (first week of January) and ending with week 52 (last week of December).
The week number refers to the whole week, i e Monday to Sunday, but there are no classes or examinations held on Saturdays and Sundays that require students to remain at the school. The last classes and examination are (usually) held on Fridays.
Credits
The duration and extent of programs and courses is expressed in a system of points or credits (högskolepoäng). The Swedish credit system is identical with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Each week of full-time study is worth 1.5 credits (ECTS). One semester of full-time study consists of 20 weeks and is equivalent to 30 credits (ECTS). A full academic year corresponds to 60 credits (ECTS). Courses at Konstfack can be given from anything between a 1 week and 15 week periods. Contact your departmental administrator for a current week-to-week schedule.
Try and ensure that you have a 100% full-time study load for the entire semester. A full-time study load is, as mentioned, defined as 1.5 credits per week. If you can´t work out your study load please contact your tutor or departmental administrator.
Grades and examinations
At many universities you will study a number of courses parallel for the entire semester, whereas at Konstfack you will take courses sequentially - that is one after the other with an examination at the end of each individual course. There is no defined exam period. All examinations are held within regular semester times. For example, if a course is offered from week 36-40 the examination will be held at some stage during that period, likely towards the end of week 40.
The grades are Pass (G) or Fail (U). If you have not participated in an examination/presentation or submitted an assignment for a course that you have signed up on you will not receive any result or credits. A blank result for that specific course will be registered on your certificate.
The credit system is based on a full student workload, i e lectures, practical work, seminars, tutorials, fieldwork, private study and examinations or other assessment activities, and not limited to contact hours only.
Course selection and study plan
Unfortunately, we do not have an online application system for course selection. When you arrive at Konstfack you will be assigned a tutor with whom you create a study plan for your semester here. The final course list is not set until June/July, i e two or three months before the start of the fall semester. Therefore, applicants to our exchange programs make a preliminary choice based on this course catalogue and be prepared that there might be slight changes to your study plan once you have arrived and registered. When you have arrived at Konstfack you first meet with the International Office and then you meet your tutor at IA. Together with him or her you create a study plan and select your courses. It usually takes 1-2 weeks to “settle in” with the program and the courses.
Course set-up/Study plan
2nd year - spring semester
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Program term 4
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Course title
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Credits
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Exchange studies:
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30
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Modules:
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Public environments
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12
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Furnitures in public environments
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5
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Materials and technologies 4: Space and environments
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5
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Representation and communication 4: Visualisation
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5
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Histories and critical thinking 4: Perspectives on research (Sufficient knowledge in Swedish is required) 2 credits+ Individual project 1 credit
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3
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Total Credits:
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30
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Summary of module contents:
Public environments (12 credits) and Furnitures in public environments (5 credits):
In these modules, a specific public environment interior is in focus. The students develop methods for analyzing the needs of the user and the human being, and they are introduced to critically relate to different social structures in the specific public environment. The students are challenged to describe and study the relationships between fixed and loose furniture, interior design in public environments and its representation techniques. Furthermore, the students are supported to critically reflect on the relationship between an artistic process and a design process.
Materials and technologies 4: space and environment (5 credits):
This module aims to provide in-depth knowledge of how light, sound and color, as well as materials, shape the atmosphere in public environments and affect the organization and furniture of the space. Within the module there is a focus on public environments and how light, sound and color work both inside and outside. In the design work all parts are met, including material and materiality.
Representation and communication 4: Visualisation (5 credits):
In this module, the student develops techniques for digitally visualizing geometry, materiality and lightning using rendering tools and various image management techniques. Through historical and contemporary references from art, photography, architecture and interior architecture, students are invited to contextualise their image creation with regards to, for example, composition, atmosphere, character. The aim is that the students acquire digital tools to visualize and evaluate an interior and critically reflect on how we, as interior designers and furniture designers, represent space, furniture and objects in picture.:
Histories and critical thinking 4: Perspectives on research (2 credits):
The module aims to provide students with knowledge of and different perspectives on design and practical based artistic research in the field of interior architecture and furniture design and adjoining areas.
Individual project (1 credits):
After accomplishing this module students are expected to be able to create, present and complete an own project within the subject area interior architecture and/or furniture design.
3rd year - autumn semester
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Program term 5
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Course title
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Credits
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Exchange studies:
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30
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Modules:
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Interior and society
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5
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Furniture and society
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5
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In-depth study
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12,5
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Materials and Technologies 3: Prototypes and production
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3
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Representation and communication 5: Time and process
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3
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Histories and critical thinking 5: Rhetoric
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1,5
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Total Credits:
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30
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Summary of module contents:
Interior and society (5 credits), Furniture and society (5 credits) and In-depth study (12,5 credits):
These modules aim to broaden and deepen the understanding of interiors relation to society, industry and profession. We examine how the structure, organization, material characteristics, flows, availability, time and activities can inform, problematize and be processed in the gestalt of interiors and furniture.
Materials and Technologies 3: Prototypes and production (3 credits):
In this module the students immerse in different production techniques and learn how materials and technology interact and how production processes can be developed in different ways. Students will meet the production industry to understand more about the role of the designer in the process of production. The prototype concept is studied with a focus on interior architecture and furniture design.
Representation and communication 5: Time and process (3 credits)
In this module the students develop their methods of representation and visualization by reflecting on and immersing themselves in the representation and simulation of time and processes. The students develop methods of documenting, processing and presenting aspects of interior architecture and furniture design, involving time and processes. It may involve a combination of active media and drawing, animation and simulation. The topic of representation is deepened with lectures and reference literature with a focus on time, processes and movements.
Contact:
If you have further questions please contact administrative officer Elisabeth Westlund, Elisabeth.Westlund@konstfack.se, tel: +46 (0)8 450 41 82.