Aalto University

Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture was formed when the University of Art and Design Helsinki, known as TaiK, and the architecture faculty of the former Helsinki University of Technology came together within Aalto University. The school traces a 150-year history and presents its story as inseparable from that of the Finnish creative industries.

Teaching is based on the Otaniemi campus in Espoo, where the school gathered most of its studios and learning spaces in the Väre building, opened in 2018. The university describes Otaniemi as one of the finest ensembles of Finnish architecture, built by several generations of renowned architects.

Three departments shape the offer — Architecture, Design, and Art and Media — together with the Department of Film. The school runs 23 master’s programmes and two MSc programmes, most taught in English, plus a doctoral programme in art, design, film, media and architecture.

Studio work carries the curriculum: the Bachelor’s Programme in Design asks students to design future products, services and systems critically, while the Department of Film trains directors, producers, cinematographers and screenwriters. Research spans art education, design thinking, digital media, visual culture, urban planning, architecture and landscape architecture, and the university devotes one per cent of building costs to art commissions.