Programs/Master/Humanities, social sciences, communication and arts
Master

Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design

★ StudyPath verdict
8.5/10
Best for experimental, research-focused designers who thrive in interdisciplinary collaboration; weigh the emphasis on conceptual exploration against limited commercial design pathways.
Tuition · Intl
€14,714
via SKDB 2017 ↗
Duration
2 years
120 ECTS
Start
Sep 26
apply by Mar 26
Language
English
IELTS 7+
Accred.
NVAO
NVAO 2025
Admission
Open
no intake cap
Enrolled/yr
424
DUO ↓55% ↗
Intl. %
95%
of students ↗
S:F ratio
52:1
institution-wide ↗
Min. English
7
IELTS required
Entry route
Bachelor
degree required ↗
Satisfaction
3.7/5
NSE 2026 ↗
Employment
?
no data yet
Median salary
?
no data yet
Alumni
?
no data yet
↗ Real values are sourced; tiles marked “?” aren’t collected yet · Enrolled/yr is live from DUO · Satisfaction/outcomes are live from StudiekeuzedatabaseLast sync: 25 Jun 2026
About this program
The Master programmes at Design Academy Eindhoven offer students the tools they need to research and analyse complex situations. They support students in the development of their position in relation to design, improving their practical and/or theoretical practice and fostering collaboration across disciplines. Designers, curators and theorists work in a world in flux. They are faced with complex themes that cannot be reduced to readily solvable design problems. More and more often, they stray beyond the boundaries of their disciplines, and the themes they focus on merit the critical view of well-informed creative minds. During a DAE Master course, the authorship of the designer or design theorist will be reinforced. Students strengthen and focus their positions, learn to reflect on the profession and its limits, develop their imagery and signature, and research topical questions to come up with designs, presentations or text proposals. The guiding principle for the Academy’s approach to education at this level is a focus on the cultural context in which designers and their products ‘function’, though the domains the students will research may be socially, technically or economically oriented as well
Institution’s own description (HOVI via Studiekeuzedatabase)
English120 ECTSMaster of ArtsField area: Language & CultureSector: Kunst en CultuurCode of Conduct (intl.)Full-timeMaster
Teaching formats
Design projectField tripExhibitionGroup assignmentGroup discussionIndividual assignmentLectureProject
About Design Academy Eindhoven
Design Academy Eindhoven is one of the most prestigious design schools in the world, consistently ranked in the top 10 globally. Known for its conceptual, context-driven approach to design education, producing graduates who work at major design firms and start their own studios worldwide.
Living in Eindhoven
Student cost of living
Rent · room
€500/mo
Monthly total
€750–€1,450
Cost of living
Medium
Population
243k

Modern, innovative, and technology-focused. Eindhoven is less traditional than other Dutch cities, offering a contemporary urban experience with a strong emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship.

View city guide →
Specializations
Tracks from HOVI
Social DesignSpecialisation
The Social Design Master’s programme envisions itself as an incubator for radical hope—a resilient, committed hope that dares to imagine new possibilities. Unlike traditional desig
Contextual DesignSpecialisation
Throughout the two-year course the Contextual Design Master aims to increase the students’ awareness of how each designed object, and each designed strategy, is a node in a network
MA Information Design is a programme dedicated to the exploration of the politics and agency of information and its modes and contexts of production. It operates as an outpost for
The Critical Inquiry Lab department (CIL) is a two-year Master’s programme that provides students with an environment to develop a self-directed design practice driven by transdisc
Geo—DesignSpecialisation
The Geo—Design MA investigates how design can interface with complex phenomena in the physical and material world by means of research, new objects, and cinema. The Geo—Design MA
Source: HOVI via Studiekeuzedatabase
Curriculum
Course structure by year
?No curriculum data yet
Career outcomes
Graduate surveys · field-group level
?No career-outcome data yet
Progression & cohort
Official register statistics
Complete this degree87%
Women among first-years70%
International students95%
Say workload is “just right”54%
Official register statistics (1cijferHO · 2025) via Studiekeuzedatabase
Student voices
National Student Survey (NSE) — first-party reviews coming
3.7/5overall satisfaction · NSE 2026 · 99 respondents
Content & set-up3.7
Teachers3.8
Atmosphere4.1
Involvement & contact3.8
Study guidance3.6
Testing & assessment3.4
Facilities2.8
Career preparation3.4
Teachers' English4.4
Would choose again3.7
Source: Nationale Studenten Enquête via Studiekeuzedatabase (Studiekeuze123/LCSK)
Application timeline
Application deadline
2026-03-30
Non-EU deadline
2026-03-30
Admissions
Minimum language scores · from StudyInNL
  • IELTS overall band: 7
Scholarships
?No data yet
Internships
?No data yet
🤝
Got admitted? We handle the rest.
Document review, visa, housing. 92% success rate. From €499.