MA Design Leadership

Study Design Leadership to take your design career to the next level and become a leader in the field.

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Form and lead creative processes

In our fast-paced world, design and creativity play central roles in the development of sustainable and meaningful products. Being a Design Leader means to take responsibility and define a vision for the team, for users and other stakeholders involved in the creative process. Good Design Leadership ensures that there is a passionate environment that encourages creativity, participation, and co-creation.

The new MA Design Leadership at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE) will equip you with cutting-edge skills and knowledge to lead and empower creative teams in their effort to design better products, services, and experiences. Take your strong design background to the next level by acquiring the necessary skills to lead and manage creative teams. 
Your journey as a leader begins here.
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Check out our Location

Take a look at our Campus Hamburg.
A vibrant metropolis with a rich history, bursting with culture and welcoming the future with open arms.

Do you want to see our campus but aren’t around? Check out our Virtual Campus Tour.

Admission Requirements

Here are some things you will require for your application at the UE:

  • Completed admission form
  • Transcript & language proficiency
  • CV & Copy of passport
  • Motivational letter
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Fees

  • EU applicants standard: € 820 monthly
  • Non-EU applicants standard: € 10,938 yearly

Got questions about financing? Check out our fees!

Semesters & Credits

  • Standard Track (120 ECTS)
  • Fast Track (60 or 90 ECTS)
  • Teaching language: English

The programme starts in the winter semester 2024/25


Hamburg Students

The Design Leadership Master at a glance

The Master's programme Design Leadership prepares you to lead creative teams through the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. For those with the right skills, exciting tasks await in companies, creative agencies, media houses, and other innovation-driven organisations.

UE also prepares you for professional tasks where you need to collaborate closely with AI systems to develop and refine creative ideas. For all the benefits AI brings, these technologies are unable to successfully lead design teams through every single challenge and opportunity that may occur. Learn the critical judgment and problem-solving skills that AI lacks!
The target audience comprises young people who are adept at grasping ideas, understanding how things work, and effectively communicating them. They also excel at recognising visual elements and may have experimented with design, worked with digital media, or collaborated in teams.

Career options with a degree in Design Leadership

Graduates work in a dynamically developing environment that requires exactly the skills they have acquired during their studies. They take on positions of responsibility in the traditional communications and creative industries, where they focus in particular on strategic and operational tasks. Some prepare themselves for independent work as freelancers or set up their own companies. Outside the traditional design professions, they work in interdisciplinary teams (and lead them) to support companies, organisations and institutions in the analysis, conception and implementation of strategic communication. For example as:

  • Design strategist
  • Design manager
  • Design operation manager
  • Innovation designer
  • Design strategist user experience
  • Chief Digital Officer
  • Digital Transformation Officer
  • Printing Lab

    Print lab

  • three people playing table soccer

    Campus life

  • A girl with a water jet

    Print lab project

  • a class room with a lot of images on the wall

    Class

  • a corner with image son the wall and colorful backgrounds for photos

    Photo Studio

  • creative studio with a lot of drawing pinned on boards

    Illustration Studio

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    Hamburg Innenalster (Lake)

  • a city with a church and a huge street

    Hamburg City


Cooperation with our partners: building bridges to success

Gain access to internships and real-life projects in a range of leading companies and cultural institutions.

  • Canon Logo
  • GEO
  • designxport
  • MUSEUM DER NATUR HAMBURG
  • JUNGvMATT Logo
  • MAGNUM PHOTOS

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Learn from our Experts

Here you will find further valuable information about our professors and their career.

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Dr. Valerie Riepe

Dr. Valerie Riepe is a lecturer of Art and Design theory at University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Hamburg campus. Contact us to know more!
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Learn from our Expert - Prof. Dr. Lauritz Lipp

Prof. Dr. Lauritz Lipp

Prof. Dr. Lauritz Lipp is the professor for Communication Design at University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Hamburg campus. Contact us to know more!
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Prof. Dr. Holger Schlegel

Prof. Dr. Holger Schlegel

Dr. Holger Schlegel is the Professor and programme manager of Business Management Studies at UE Germany in Hamburg. Contact us to know more!
Read More

Contact us today