Other Opportunities
From external collaborations with a diverse range stakeholders to international opportunities to student communities, IDE master students have many opportunities to explore the field of design, develop their skills, and build lasting friendships and professional connections. Below you can find out more about international opportunities for IDE MSc students and the three master communities that have formed within our programmes.
International Opportunities
All of the MSc programmes at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) are internationally focused. Thirty percent of our MSc students are from abroad and all of the programmes are taught in English. MSc students are able to gain international experience by taking advantage of the faculty’s collaborations with leading design institutes from around the world. For example, they can go on an exchange at one of IDE’s 60 partner universities.
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Within the master’s programmes there are several courses that can be partially completed abroad or in collaboration with an international party. Year two MSc students have the opportunity to gain global experience via the Graduation Project. For the Graduation Project, students must arrange their own assignment, which can take place with an organisation abroad.
Furthermore, a self-arranged internship abroad of at least 10 weeks can be carried out as a 15 EC elective course. Or you can also apply for one of TU Delft’s foreign-based (e.g. ATHENS) or summer schools.
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ID study association organises international study trips yearly. These range from visiting museums, design schools, and design agencies to doing research and design cases for companies.
There are plenty of ways for you to gain international experience. It just requires initiative and the willingness to get out there and discover what’s possible. For example, keep your eyes open for teachers starting research projects or competitions abroad and who are looking for student participants.
External Collaborations
Throughout their time at IDE, our master students will have the chance to interact, get to know, and collaborate with external stakeholders both within and outside of their studies. Keep reading to find out what kind of opportunities are available.
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Throughout the master programmes there are several courses that include projects commissioned by external parties, which can be companies but also NGO’s, hospitals or municipalities for example.
Where the Graduation Project offers the opportunity to students to set-up their own collaboration for execution of an assignment for a company, the design studio courses include projects for companies, acquired by the faculty. Examples of such projects can be found under “Programme”. Through these projects, student get the opportunity to work for companies such as Unilever, L’Oreal, Philips, Samsung, Daimler, KLM, Bang & Olufsen, Giant or Lego.
Often, companies are involved in multiple student projects, sometimes alongside (PhD) research, and some projects are successively carried out by student teams within different courses, or different ‘versions’ of the course. An example is the BioCoach which is the result of a project executed for the company Biomet. The concept was developed in the Exploring Interactions course, further developed in the Advanced Embodiment Design course, and is now patented.This video is an example of a project commissioned by Biomet.
This student movie shows the outcome of the AED project which was the continuation of a concept developed during the EI course, on a rehabilitation coaching tool for orthopaedic patients (2013).
For some topics, the faculty extensively cooperates with partners from the industry, in research and design projects. Medisign and Aviation design are examples of such topics.Furthermore, there are many electives and for example the shared master course Generic and Professional Skills, in which companies are involved (occasionally or regularly). Also, many courses include guest lectures from alumni and experts from the field of profession.
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ID, the study association of IDE, organises annual events in which students can get to know companies and even collaborate with them, ranging from lectures, workshops, speeddates, or the yearly Industrial Design Engineering Business fair, to Cases on Tour (a four day national study tour in which students creatively solve cases for companies), or Flightcase (a three week international case tour). Master communities Infuse (DfI), Futury (IPD) and Studio 360 (SPD) organise more master specific activities in collaboration with companies. The companies that participate in such activities are for example Etsy, Heineken, Microsoft and Wacom.
Master Communities
At the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, students have the opportunity to join their MSc programme's Master Community. The three Master Communities were established in 2015 and fall under the ID study association. Each community organises master-specific activities throughout the academic year.
Find out more about IDE's three master communities below, including how you can get in touch with them.
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Design for Interaction (DfI)
Infuse is a student-led community that represents and supports TU Delft’s MSc Design for Interaction (DfI) students. Our goal is to inspire and bring students, organisations, and designers from around the world together. One way we do this is by organising social and educational events that create opportunities for socialising, learning, and networking.
We strive to help DfI students grow professionally and personally. By being open and creating relationships with other student associations and members of the TU Delft staff, we aim to build a community that we can be proud of. We try to maintain a strong relationship with the faculty, especially with those involved in DfI. To ensure the voices of DfI’s students are heard, we attend bi-weekly meetings and present feedback to the relevant course coordinators and the programme director.
Since the Infuse team is made up of DfI students, we naturally end up playing a very active role in our community. We’re constantly in contact with our fellow classmates and seek out their perspectives and opinions. This enables us to find the perfect way to bring students and companies together. Through the Infuse network, we’re also able to share valuable information from companies (e.g. events, talks, and vacancies) with DfI students.
All of the events we organise are tailored to DfI students and their growth as industrial designers. We host social events like DfI drinks and Design Cinema; as well as, professional events like DfI Dialogues with alumni and other inspiring speakers. We also take a lot of time to carefully plan out case days with companies. These can happen locally or during Infuse’s annual trip abroad. During this yearly trip, students have the opportunity to participate in a series of case days in a different country (fingers crossed this can happen again soon)!
To find out more follow us on Instagram or send us an email.
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Integrated Product Design (IPD)
Futury is a community for and led by the students of TU Delft’s Integrated Product Design (IPD) Master’s programme. We strive to offer opportunities and chances to the next generation of industrial designers.
To make sure IPD students get the most out of their time at TU Delft, we provide a platform for discussion and a chance to build a network inside and outside of the university. By encouraging the sharing of knowledge, ideas, and information, Futury gives students a chance to show off their skills and apply creative problem solving to produce valuable and innovative solutions to current technological problems.
Made up of Dutch and international students with a wide range of skills and talents, the Futury Board acts as a liaison between IPD students and innovative organisations. By providing companies with access to tomorrow’s top industrial designers, we open the door to internships and graduation project possibilities for students.
But Futury needs your help! We’re looking for IPD students to join our board and revitalise our community. Interested? Get in touch with ID's Commissioner of Master Education.
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Strategic Product Design (SPD)
Studio360 is the student association of TU Delft’s Strategic Product Design (SPD) Master’s programme. We believe that today’s students will shape the world of tomorrow. We try to bridge the gap between students and businesses by building a strong community of peers and professionals. Our aim is to increase the dialogue about the future of strategic design and create close links between students, academia, and industry.
As a student you can explore your future by joining Studio360’s social and professional activities! You can network with companies and other interesting people, connect with your peers, give feedback about education, attend events, and so much more. We can’t wait for you to join us!
As a company you can expect an enthusiastic group of students, armed with the latest strategic design knowledge and practices, ready to tackle your challenge. Our members sign up according to their personal interests and strengths, so you can count on motivated future professionals. At Studio360, we create our business case plans in close collaboration with our partners to ensure the best possible learning experience for both the company and the students.
Our last big event was Master of Strategy (MoS). Furthermore, we'll be hosting a lot of other social events. We’re planning a language buddy system and a bike trip to discover the Netherlands.
