Bezalel's M.Des Program constitutes a focal point of advanced academics and research in this discipline in Israel. The program trains artists and designers in an extensive range of vocational and research fields in design. It is a center of information and a major nexus of both Israeli and international cultural and industrial related issues. The program has determined as its prime goal to develop the designer's broad mode of insight and thought, while placing an emphasis on the importance of the social, technological, theoretical and practicable contexts of their future activity, as well as the networks of peripheral knowledge that they will require. The program strives to nurture the designer as an artist and an innovator while at the same time highlighting his/ her role as a team member, and as a leader and entrepreneur whose role is to identify the knowledge required on more advanced levels, to assimilate this knowledge in its broader contexts and, through the practice of design, to express the subsequent personal statement. The complex global scene of the future demands personal, flexible and diverse skills as well as skills of orientation and adopting a stance as part of the designer's great commitment towards society and the environment. The program enables an impressive dynamics of intellectual and ideological "trading of goods" with a syllabus that is based on the personal "search engine" that exists within each student. The program encourages joint projects with companies, factories and organizations, and supports a framework of designing and developing innovative concepts and initiatives. By nurturing a generation of designers with integrative skills, incorporating multidisciplinary knowledge and a comprehensive prospect, the local design culture will become enriched, and the Israeli industry will be able to expand its power of design and develop its innovative strategies.
The Program offers two areas of specialization:
About Design
Specialization in "About Design" assists design artists in formulating a critical approach and a personal language in the continuously developing discipline of experimental design. Today, more than ever, global design tends to promote and appreciate design that goes against the mainstream of industrial design. Many museums and galleries of design create a meeting point between design and art. The experimental design in Israel has won great admiration all over the world and it has been appraised as one of the rising forces in the field. The program enables students to meet with curators and theoreticians in the field of design as well as outstanding artists from all over the world.
Design Management
Design Management constitutes an important, strategic factor in the global competition among firms in the fields of product and service. Today these firms are well aware that design management must be integrated with the basic business strategy and for this they require constant and continuous advice on design management and its surrounding environment. The role of the design manager, as an external advisor or as manager of the design department, requires knowledge and a deep understanding in the social, cultural and practical disciplines of design as well as extensive and comprehensive knowledge in fields such as strategy, marketing, economic, branding, production, managing development processes, leadership and more. This fact enhances the importance of training a design manager who is in charge of the company's industrial design and innovation. The design manager's role includes propelling the company toward visionary and creative future. By connecting the design process to the company's vision and core values, the design manager leads toward a sustainable competitive advantage.
Guest Lecturers from Abroad
Prof. Barry M. Katz - a leading scholar in the field of industrial design in the United States. A lecturer in the Department of Industrial Design at Stanford University, California. Head of the Faculty of Design at the College of Design in San Francisco.
Prof. Victor Margolin – Editor of Design Issues - the newspaper on design theory and researcher and publisher in the field of the history of design.
Prof. Alberto Meda – One of Europe's leading engineers and industrial designers, graduate of The Royal College of Art. Teaches in the Milano's Polytechnico and the Domus Academy. Received several awards and has numerous international publications.
Prof. David Darling – Graduate of the Royal College of Art in furniture design and holds a PhD. in design education. Chairman and editor of the international organization – DRS – "Research in Design", as well as an initiator of conferences and seminars on research in design. Teaches at Essex University in England where he is Head of the Division of Design Research.
Prof. Harald Laschke – Industrial Designer. Head of the Advanced Design Division and Corporate Design Manager for Mercedes-Benz- Daimler Chrysler
Prof. Vanni Pasca – Exhibition curator and design theoretician. Head of the Master in Design program at the University of Palermo, Italy.
Prof. Rosanne Somerson – Furniture designer. Lecturer and researcher in the field of furniture design. Serves as head of the academic sector at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Prof. Xavier Costa – Architect. Holds a degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Teaches at two architecture schools in London and at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. Serves as the Dean of the Elsava School of Design and is the Curator of Architecture at the Mies van der Rohe Foundation in Barcelona.
Prof. Carlo Vannicola – The Department of Industrial Design, Genoa University, Italy.
Barbara Bloemink, PhD. - Curatorial Director of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York.
Adam Tihany, Arch. – Architect and Designer. Owner of Tihany Design which specializes in the field of hotels and restaurants. Lives and works in New York, Milan, Japan and more.
Dr. Gabriel Klasmer – Visual artist and a senior lecturer at the Royal college of Art, London.
Mr. Marti Guixe – Interdisciplinary designer, internationally known, one of the designers of products and the flag stores of the "Camper" company.
Mr. Guillem Ferrer – formerly the design manager at "Camper". Spain.
Mr. Daniel Charny – designer, gallery curator for the Aram Gallery of design, and a senior lecturer at the Royal College of Art, London.
Ms. Gesche Joost – senior design researcher, Deutsche Telekom Laboratories, Berlin, Germany.
Georg-Christof Bertsch – Branding expert, owner of a leading firm for Design Management in Frankfurt Germany.
Ms. Barbel van Zanten and Ms. Karen Reddering – researchers and senior consultants from the Research and Development Department at "Philips Design", Holland.
Mr. Michael Anastassiades – Industrial designer. Graduate of the Royal College of design. Lives and works in London.
Mr. Gadi Amit – President of New Deal Design, San Francisco, California, USA. An industrial designer, and a graduate of Bezalel. Served as Vice President of design at Frog Design in California – one of the largest design companies in the world.
Mr. Noam Toran – Designer and lecturer at the Royal College of Art.
Mr. Assa Ashuach – Industrial designer and researcher of design. Graduate of Bezalel's Department of Industrial Design and the Royal College of Art
Syllabus
The program's syllabus is compiled of six divisions. Each student is required to accumulate 60 credits in total in order to receive a Master's degree: 44 credits in Studio studies and 16 credits in theoretical courses, research and written assignments:
Syllabus Table
Total Fourth Semester Third Semester Second Semester First Semester Name of division
16 credits 4 credits 4 credits 4 credits 4 credits a. Design laboratories
8 credits 4 credits 4 credits b. Conceptual Workshops
12 credits 12 credits c. Conclusive Project
4 credits 1 credit 1 credit 1 credit 1 credit d. Guest Workshops
8 credits 8 credits e. Elective Courses
48 credits Total Studio studies
12 credits 16 credits f. Theoretical courses, research and written assignments
60 credits Total credits for degree
* Students who began their studies in the 2004 – 2007 academic years are asked to please refer to the program office to receive explanations on the changes in the syllabus table.
Syllabus Divisions
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Design Laboratories
The goal of the design laboratories is to examine relevant questions in the traditional, current and experimental fields of design. The labs are conducted by senior designers and they integrate theoretical writing with practical work in design. Within the framework of the lab open discussions are held, as well as guest lectures, assignments and field trips, meetings with curators, theoreticians, design managers, people in the industry and senior designers from both Israel and abroad. The laboratories are conducted in a semestrial format. During the course of the study program, every student must participate in four design labs, in a total scope of 16 credits.
Every year these labs are updated and they cover topics that include:
Specialization in "About Design"
• "About Design"
• "About Beauty and Ugliness"
• "Israeli Design"
• "Curatorship, Design and the Museum"
• "Otherism"
Specialization in 'Design Management'
• "Strategy and Design"
• "Research of Trends"
• "Brand Management"
• "Creative Direction"
• "International Strategy"
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Conceptual Workshops
The workshops constitute a focal point for the discussion and practice of design. Within the framework of these workshops there are open discussions, lectures, presentations and trips. The workshops integrate theoretical writing with practical work in design. The workshops are conducted in a semestrial format. During the course of the study program, every student must participate in two workshops, in a total scope of 8 credits.
Every year these workshops are updated and they cover topics that include:
Every year these labs are updated and they cover topics that include:
Specialization in "About Design"
• "Still Life"
• "Blurring borders"
• "Undustrial Design"
• "Less but More"
Specialization in "Design Management"
• "Introduction to Design Management"
• "Sustainable Design Management – from Idea to Ecological Implementation"
• "Design Start-up"
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Final Project
The final project is the academic frame guiding the student towards excellence. In the framework of the project, the students will be required to assimilate the knowledge and creative processes acquired in the program while making a personal statement and taking a personal stand. The project will deal with a topic that the student chooses to develop and will be accompanied by individual instructional meetings with a personal advisor and bi-weekly instructional and enrichment meetings with the project coordinators and guest lecturers. In the framework of the enrichment meetings the topics of research, criticism, design and management are discussed. There are also Instructional and critical meetings with the project advisors. In the course of his/ her studies, every student must submit one final project in a total scope of 12 credits.
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Guest Workshops
Guest workshops will take place twice a year, for a period of one week. Key figures from the academic world and the local and international world of design are invited to conduct the workshops. In the course of his/ her studies, each student is obligated to participate in four guest workshops, in a total scope of 4 credits.
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Elective courses
Elective courses enable the student to research and develop personal fields of interest in the framework of the program. In the course of his/ her studies, every student must accrue 8 credits within the framework of elective courses.
Following is a (partial) list of potential choices for students:
• Personal Project
• Touring design exhibitions abroad
• T- Experience
• Inter-departmental courses at Bezalel
• Courses from other departments
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Theoretical courses, research and written assignments
The division of theoretical courses, research and written assignments was formed with the purpose to the provide the student with tools to develop his/ her skills in writing, research, management and marketing and to broaden his/ her horizons as an artist and a designer and to contribute to the building and development of a research oriented group in the field of Israeli design. The division's courses are conducted in the framework of Bezalel's Department of History and Theory. Every student in the program must accrue 12 credits (6 each year) in the course of his/ her studies in the framework of these courses.
The division's courses are updated every year and the deal in topics that include:
• "Writing and research in a design environment"
• "Marketing management for designers"
• "Economics for designers"
• "Ethics for designers"
• "Design, culture, globalization"
Completion studies (Prerequisites)
Students who have not been trained as industrial designers will be required to take supplementary courses. The supplementary courses will be concentrated into one day of study a week for a year, and in two concentrated courses during vacations. Every student must complete these courses during the first year of the program. Completion of the supplementary courses will constitute a condition for continuing on to the second year. Tuition for the supplementary courses will be per credit, and separate from the global tuition for the Master's program.
The completion courses include:
• Trends and styles in design
• Authorization test for workshop practice
• Basic course in design
• Basic course in drawing
• Course in Computer Design (Solidworks)
Framework of Studies
The M.Des program studies take place over two years: four semesters and they are held at the Bezalel Mount Scopus Campus in Jerusalem. The curriculum has been constructed with a desire to enable students to integrate their studies with their activities as artists and designers. Therefore, the program's studies have been concentrated into two and half to three days a week each year:
• One day of practical studies – studio courses.
• One day of theoretical studies – courses in theory, research and writing and elective studies.
• Those students who have not been trained as industrial designers will be obligated to take one extra day of study for completion of studies (prerequisites).
It is also important to indicate that the study program requires that the student must allow time for various events that take place during the academic year: organizing and producing exhibitions, participation in seminars and lectures, participation in guest seminars and so forth. Presence in the program courses is obligatory.
Division of studies
The M.Des program may only be divided over four years. A student who is interested in dividing his/ her studies must submit a written request to the teaching committee for approval. For studying in a partial program of study the student will pay tuition per credit.
Conditions for passage from first year to second year
At the end of the first year the grade committee will review the academic status of the students. In order to pass from the first year of study to the second year of the program, the student must fulfill the following conditions:
• A grade of at least 70 in the design labs and the conceptual workshops.
• Completion of all obligations of prerequisite courses.
In light of the student's result sheet, his/ her portfolio and fulfillment of obligations of completion courses (in the event that the student is required to take these), the committee will determine the student's continuation of study. Furthermore, it is the committee's prerogative, if it be necessary, to recommend to the program's teaching committee to put a student "on probation" for one semester only in the second year of study. At the end of this semester the committee will reconvene and discuss the student's academic situation. The committee may decide to remove the status of "probation", to extend it for one more semester or notify the student of termination of his/ her studies.
Final Requirements for the Receipt of a Master's degree
Every student in the M.Des program must fulfill the following requirements in order to receive a Master's degree:
• Accrual of 60 academic credits: 44 academic credits in subjects of industrial design and 16 academic credits in courses of theory, research and writing.
• A grade of at least 70 in design labs, conceptual workshops and the final project.
• A grade of at least "55" in the remainder of the program's courses.
• An average of at least 70 in all of the program's courses.
• Fulfillment of all academic requirements as determined in the program's courses.
• Payment in full of tuition and other compulsory fees as determined by the academy.
• Returning all equipment and books in the student's possession that belong to the academy.
Excelling in studies
A grade average will include all of the courses that were taken throughout the program.
Summa Cum Laude – will be awarded to a student whose average is over 95.
Cum Laude - will be awarded to a student whose grade average is over 90 or to the top 20% of the first students whose grade average is over 85.
Exchange students
In the framework of Bezalel's student exchange outfit, the program allows students to dedicate one semester of study (in the second year) to academic studies in a similar institute abroad. A student who is interested in this option will not be able to sign up for the final project in that same academic year and will be forced to divide his studies over a period of more than two years. Student exchanges are for one semester of study only. Travel arrangements and so forth are at the student's expense. During the period of exchange the payment of tuition to Bezalel remains the same. Bezalel is responsible for payment to the institution of exchange studies. Following are three schools with which M.Des exchange programs are possible:
University of Art & Design, Helsinki, Finland – www.uiah.fi
International Design School for Advanced Studies, Seoul, Korea – http://www.idas.ac.kr/
University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM , Germany - http://www.fh-joanneum.at
Ecole Superieure d'Art et de Design ESAD de Reims - www.esad-reims.fr
Scholarships and awards
The program is currently offering several scholarships and awards:
• The Polanski Award for the Excelling Designer - $2500 dollars will be awarded to the student who excels in his/ her studies in the M.Des program.
• The Lockman scholarship for encouraging creativity in the field of Judaica:
The Lockman tuition scholarship is awarded once a year to a student or students in the program who create in the field of Judaica and declare their intentions to continue to develop projects in this discipline throughout their studies towards a Master's degree.
• Development grant on behalf of the Geronteck association – this grant is given to a student for research and development of products for the elderly population.
• The Schneidigger scholarship – this scholarship is awarded once a year an excelling student who is in need of financial assistance.
*Information on additional scholarships and grants will be given throughout the school year.
Copyrights
Every student studying in the program accepts the written commitment and agreement regarding copyrights and rights on models and patents. A student is obligated to show his works in all of the exhibitions that the academy organizes. A student who requests to make use (commercial or advertising) of his/ her work, is to request the lecturer's/ advisor's approval, in writing, and is to refer his/ her request, in writing, to the teaching committee. The committee will recommend renunciation of copyrights if, in its opinion, the project will not be used by the academy. The program's recommendation will be passed on for the approval of the Head of the Academy.
Students' works and experimental works
The students' works are the property of the academy, and it has the right to hold a limited number of chosen works for an unlimited period of time. In the event that he/ she is asked to do so, the student will leave his/ her work and it will be considered the property of the program and the academy. Development of new material or glazing by a student will be used as a donation to knowledge, research and development, and will be considered the property of the academy. The development will be named for the student. A student is entitled to continue to create works for selling from patterns that were made in the framework of studies, only with the approval of the teaching committee. Works that the program does not leave in its possession are the student's property and he/ she is responsible for their removal upon the conclusion of the school year. The program encourages the sale of models for execution in industry; however the presentation and sales of works will be done through the program and with the approval of the teaching committee and the Academy.