Hej!
I’ve been living in Sweden for almost 7 months and it’s, for sure, the craziest and most rewarding experience I’ve had in my life. Leaving your country is a challenge but, I assure you, you’ll feel proud of every little new thing you learn to do. For instance, just thinking about biking used to give goosebumps. Now, I can bike even in the snow! Besides, the university has a super friendly environment that allows you to meet people from all over the globe, which is my favorite part: the amazing international friends I’ve made who invite me to try their traditional great cuisines š.
Not only do we have cool parties and unique associations, but we also have top-notch professors and labs. Swedish education is definitely one of a kind. I appreciate how approachable the teachers are. The flat hierarchy invites us to share ideas and engage in debates without fear or constraints. All opinions matter and can sum up to build something innovative.
Iām currently in my second semester of the Design master’s at LiU and I am still surprised by the many different perspectives it has to offer. The program is a two-year master of science that allows you to choose between three tracks of specialization: Sustainability, Service, and Visual design. If itās of your interest, you can change tracks each semester in a way that is more suitable for your career goals.
Ā Thatās one of our main design studios, cozy huh?Ā
To provide an overview of what awaits you this autumn, I invited two friends (one in each specialization) to share their experiences, and I share mine with the Visual track.
Sustainability
Ren, my funny colleague from China, has a Bachelor’s in Dietetics but was intrigued by the different tracks offered by the Design program and decided to start her masters in Linkoping. During the first semester, she followed the course āSustainable Strategiesā which, according to her, provides great autonomy for the students while helping deepen their understanding and reflect upon sustainability issues.
I asked her to give us a general picture of how the course is structured, and that is how it goes:
āThis course consisted of approximately 25% lectures, 35% seminars, and 40% projects with coaching. In the first few weeks, the lectures mainly introduced design theories and concepts related to sustainability. Then, we had to find books on sustainability topics that interested us and share our insights in the seminars. Through the reading process, we gradually narrowed down the direction of our projects. This course was more research-driven I think, and involved a lot of reading and gave students autonomy.ā
Sounds interesting, right? And it doesnāt stop here!Ā
Besides classrooms, we have an amazing workshop to work on physical models
Do you remember that she has a Bachelor in Dietetics? Well, the Design Master in LiU has some specific requirements that do not involve having a design diploma, which means that our class is full of students with different backgrounds. For Ren, thatās a challenging but positive thing. She believes that āhaving different academic or professional backgrounds is an advantage to some extent. Design is an interdisciplinary field, and different backgrounds bring different perspectives and problem-solving approaches, which makes this program very interesting.ā
She also told me that her two favorite things about the program are the autonomy provided by the teaching methods and her classmates š. This semester she decided to explore other areas and registered for the Service track where they are working on a hands-on approach with Scania.Ā
ServiceĀ
Since we started talking about services, let me introduce you to Barbara. She comes from Portugal where she got her Bachelor in Communication Design at the Fine Arts Faculty in Lisbon. The possibility of doing research while working on real cases with different agents caught her attention, and influenced her to start her master’s in Design at LiU.
One of the highlights for her was the chance to truly understand what Service Design is since, for her, itās a complex area that is often not completely acknowledged. She also provided us with an overview of this track courses:
āI definitely had more reading than what I was expecting, but it made sense overall. The track course last semester, in my case, was about value creation and didnāt have that many assignments. It was mostly research-driven and had a small project at the end. This semester, Thinking with Representations also has a lot of reading to do but the project feels way bigger and more ārealā. Itās very interesting. We always have group assignments or collaborative activities so I never feel all the weight of the course on my shoulders, and the ideas just flow more naturally.ā
Service design involves a lot of research
Barbara comes from a design bachelor which, according to her, leads to having more visual thinking. But regarding this matter, she argues that āWorking with people from different backgrounds has been very insightful, as well as having teachers from different disciplines. Everyone is open to collaborating and learning from one another. I also really appreciate the way of teaching, our professors are seen as guides instead of being above us, theyāre always available to help us and are very engaging.ā
Visual
The Visual Media track is the reason I crossed half the world, from Brazil to Sweden, to study at LiU. I have a bachelor in Architecture and Urban Planning, and I worked in construction for almost three years. Although I liked my previous job, I was always keen to learn more about complex visual representations, which I discovered I could do here.
The visual media track encompasses three courses (one per semester) with a focus on each. The first one, which I completed in January, is devoted to data visualization. In this second semester, we are working with augmented reality (AR), and in the third one, we will dive into virtual reality (VR). An important thing about this track is that it is the only one held completely in Norrkƶping. Since the compulsory courses are mainly held in Linkƶping, itās totally possible to live here and commute with the campus bus – for free.
The classes have a great balance between theory and practical exercises where we have some readings and discussions and then search for examples to be analyzed. Although the teachers introduced some visual tools for us, Iād say that this track is probably the only one where itās good to have some previous experience. Of course, coming from a different background wonāt keep you from following classes, but some knowledge of editing and 3D software might ease your journey.Ā
Practical investigation of the Visualization Center in Norrkƶping
For me, the highlight of the course is the freedom we have to explore our preferences. The teachers provide us with guidelines that we can apply to our preferred topics and work with what we love. Itās truly rewarding!
Friends advice
Now that you met my friends, we have some final tips for you. After all, we hope to be your seniors by the end of the year, so itās fair to give you a heads-up:
Renās advice:
- Plan your learning goals and career in advance ā this will make the learning process clearer and more meaningful.Ā
- If you’re from other countries and you love food, eat more before you come.Ā
Omg, sheās so smart. Listen to her! Iāve been dreaming about Brazilian food for a couple of weeks now š.
Barbaraās pill of wisdom:
- Be organized, Figma jam boards and Notion are great for working and taking notes.
- Go to campus even if you donāt have classes, itās more fun to work in the Studio with friends than by yourself at home. Even if you donāt feel like it, try to go out as much as you can!
Those are also great tips. Today we talked a lot about track courses, but we usually have other two classes along with it. Three disciplines at the same time can be a little hectic, but with a little organization and study sessions with your friends, it gets way lighter!Ā
So, are you prepared to join us?
See ya,
Nati
__________________________________________________________________________
Why donāt continue the conversation with us?
Start with checking out:
OurĀ programmes,Ā theĀ application process,Ā webinars, and ourĀ InstagramĀ andĀ FacebookĀ account.
Still left wanting more?
Book an appointment with our recruitment coordinator atĀ international.student@liu.se
