E-campus

A master's degree in creating sustainable futures through design thinking

Design thinking provides a means to search for opportunities and create improvements toward sustainable futures. The interdisciplinary master’s degree programme in Design for the Planet is based on the principles of ​meaningful, sufficiency, and place-based design. It emphasises creative design thinking processes with human empathy for each other around real-world problems.

The degree programme is conducted online and as a part-time learning opportunity. Applicants are required to have at least two years of full-time work experience in a related field and an appropriate bachelor’s degree.

What do the studies include?

The studies include teacher-led online sessions, project-based online work in student teams, and independent student work. Virtual sessions are conducted approximately every two weeks during the autumn and spring semesters for the compulsory core and central complementary studies. The programme applies the flipped-classroom approach, where prework is required before online meetings and used for discussion and tasks.

The basis for development is understanding the main challenges of the state of the planet and how to follow the evolving sustainability rules, regulations, and reporting requirements. Design thinking includes systems understanding and evidence-based, human-driven information acquisition for holistic understanding and multidisciplinary development. Visual information forms an integrated part of the communication and development tools and result-building. 

The development context is studied both at the strategic level and in relation to the place-based, concrete situation. The strategic approach is not left at the abstract level, but concrete activities are sought as results, often through the means of co-design.

The thesis work includes presentations in online thesis seminars and joint online meetings. Individual online mentoring from the teaching staff is provided as an integral part of the thesis project.

For designers, engineers, and business or hospitality professionals: study circular economy solutions in a multidisciplinary master's degree programme

The multidisciplinary online master's degree programme in Circular Economy Solutions prepares students from design, business, hospitality, and technology backgrounds to address global challenges related to sustainable development and to promote societal change. Graduates will master circular economy strategies and business models.

Applicants are required to have at least two years of prior work experience in a related field (working full-time) and a desire to develop their professional skills in circular economy-related areas. The Circular Economy Solutions master's degree studies offer an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing expertise with your fellow students. 

Both Finnish and international students are strongly encouraged to apply. Also, applicants currently in a stage of career transition can avail of this opportunity to invest in their future skillset to help them re-enter the employment sector.

Duration and the scope of studies vary

Engineering and design students will complete a total of 60 ECTS credits of master’s-level studies in the degree programme, and MBA students a total of 90 ECTS.

In addition to core competence courses, students will plan a personalised learning path through complementary competence studies (15 ECTS for the engineering and design students and 30 ECTS for the MBA students), enabling them to tailor their studies to their individual learning objectives.

 In complementary studies, you can focus, for example, on 

• new technologies
• bio-based materials and solutions,
• the business potential of the circular economy.

The degree programme is conducted online and as a part-time learning opportunity. The courses are mainly executed by the LAB University of Applied Sciences' fields in Technology, Business and the Institute of Design and Fine Arts, in collaboration with the schools of LUT University. Complementary studies can also be selected from other faculties at LAB or other relevant institutions, offering opportunities to deepen and expand each student’s areas of interest.

The education is carried out under the guidance of experts from technology, design and business fields, and the studies include interdisciplinary teamwork. The students themselves represent diverse areas of expertise.

Master's degree studies for engineering and social and health care professionals

The interdisciplinary degree programme in Technological Transformation Leadership aims to develop strategic leaders capable of integrating technology with business processes and with organisational processes in social and health care.

The programme emphasises ethical leadership and the societal impacts of technology, including considerations specific to IoT and AI, such as data privacy, security, and ethical AI deployment for engineering students, and data privacy, security, and ethical AI deployment in social and health care for social and health care students.

These studies also provide an excellent opportunity to improve your spoken and written English skills and network with students from from industries and nationalities. 

Work experience requirements

Applicants must, in addition to the required educational background, have gained at least two years (24 months) of subsequent work experience in a relevant field after the completion of the bachelor's degree, in order to meet the eligibility criteria.

Leading roles in technology and social and health care

Upon completion, graduates will be able to lead technology initiatives, execute strategic plans, manage projects and innovations, and address ethical considerations in technology transformation, including those related to AI, and, in addition, for engineering graduates, IoT as well.

Gaining skills and capabilities for developing a technological transformation leadership approach to the working environment helps our graduates expand their professional opportunities and bridge gained knowledge and know-how with the future operational environment. 

Students can immediately apply the knowledge and skills gained through the programme in their workplace. Many graduates go on to pursue new opportunities either within their current organisation or in new professional roles.

What do the studies include?

The studies contain challenging independent work, online group work, and online studies to accommodate students’ professional and personal lives. The studies are rigorous and intensive, yet manageable.

Teaching days for core studies are usually limited to 2–4 online days per month. The study days for complementary competence studies depend on the courses you choose to study. Students can also choose elective master’s level courses from other universities.

For engineering students, the scope of the studies is 60 ECTS credits, and the duration of the programme is one year. For social and health care students, the scope of the studies is 90 ECTS credits, and the duration of the programme is two years. 

For engineering students:

• core competence 15 ECTS
• complementary competence 15 ECTS
• master's thesis 30 ECTS

Engineering students can construct their degrees focusing either on technological transformation leadership or IoT through AI. Topics covered can include, for example, leadership and change management, technology strategy, and data-driven decision making. Additionally, the programme addresses emerging issues in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), preparing students to navigate and leverage these technologies effectively.

For social and health care students:

• core competence 35 ECTS
• complementary competence 25 ECTS
• master's thesis 30 ECTS

Topics covered in the studies can include, for example, leadership and change management, health and wellbeing technologies, and knowledge management.