Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design | FA/SP Exchange

ARTCENTER APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, October 1 (Week 4) at 1pm

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ACADEMICS ELIGIBILITY COST NEXT STEPS

ACADEMICS

MAJORS OPEN TO

Fine Art | Graphic Design | Illustration | Product Design | Spatial Experience Design

CREDIT

12+ units of ArtCenter credit

Spring Term: late January to early June*

SCHEDULE

Fall Term: late August/early September to mid-January

Spring Term: late January to early June*

*Spring term dates overlap with the summer term at ArtCenter, and students are not allowed to depart early from the Konstfack exchange program, so plan accordingly.

Students must attend an exchange student orientation prior to the beginning of the term. More information will be provided upon acceptance to the program.

ELIGIBILITY

Spring term is NOT available for Graphic Design and Illustration majors but IS available for Environmental Design, Product Design and Fine Art majors.

1) Must have completed at least four terms of study prior to exchange term

2) Must have at least one term remaining upon return to ArtCenter

3) Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0

4) Must not be on academic or disciplinary probation at the time of application

If you do not meet the minimum eligibility requirements you still may be able to apply.

Please contact studyaway@artcenter.edu.

COST

If you are accepted to the program and choose to commit, you will be responsible for providing a $200 non-refundable deposit. This deposit is due within one week of your acceptance and ensures your commitment as a downpayment towards the total program fee.

DEPOSIT

If you are accepted to the program and choose to commit, you will be responsible for providing a $200 non-refundable deposit. This deposit is due within one week of your acceptance and ensures your commitment as a downpayment towards the total program fee.

PROGRAM FEE

The cost of this exchange opportunity is the same as ArtCenter tuition for the term.

Additional costs that you will be responsible for that are NOT included in the program fee are: round-trip airfare LAX-STO (~$800-$1,600), passport ($110), residence permit (~$122) housing (~$350-$615 / mo.) and daily personal expenses, including meals, souvenirs, toiletries, supplies, local transportation, local cell phone and minutes (~$500-$600 month).

ADDITIONAL

Additional costs that you will be responsible for that are NOT included in the program fee are: round-trip airfare LAX-STO (~$800-$1,600), passport ($110), residence permit (~$122) housing (~$350-$615 / mo.) and daily personal expenses, including meals, souvenirs, toiletries, supplies, local transportation, local cell phone and minutes (~$500-$600 month).

SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

https://www.artcenterstudyaway.com/pay-for-study-away

NEXT STEPS

To start your application, click the Apply Now button below. If a button is not visible, the application is not yet available.

For more details on the application process, visit this page.

DEADLINE

The Spring 2025 application deadline is October 1 at 1pm (Week 4).

*Exchanges at Konstfack are offered every Fall and Spring term.

Location: Hillside, Board Room (#256) and on Zoom

INFO SESSIONS

Study Away 101 - General Info Session: Tuesday, September 17 (Week 2) at 1pm

Location: Hillside, Board Room (#256) and on Zoom

Study Away 101 - General Info Session: Thursday, September 19 (Week 2) at 1pm

Location: South Campus, 1111 Room 402 and on Zoom

Check our Inside Page for zoom info

Can’t make it to an info session?

Sign up for a 1-on-1 advising meeting with the Exchange and Study Away office to learn more about the program.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

Konstfack, or University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, is the largest art and design school in Sweden. Every year, over 900 students are enrolled in Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, Teacher Education classes and Professional courses. Konstfack is located in Stockholm, the largest city and capital of Sweden. Classes are held in the school’s main building, an old telephone factory transformed by architect Gert Wingardh into a modernist structure. Konstfack boasts some of the best facilities available at an art and design school. The school is equipped with computer labs, woodwork and metalwork shops, screen-printing and textile printing facilities, weaving room, color workshop, graphics workshop, photo and TV studios, glassworks, ceramics workshop, and studios for sculpture and painting.

The university fosters a creative environment where students engage in critical thinking and experimentation, supported by experienced faculty and industry professionals. Its state-of-the-art facilities, including workshops and studios, provide hands-on learning experiences. Additionally, Konstfack emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility, preparing students to address contemporary challenges through their artistic practices. The vibrant community and strong connections to the local art scene further enhance the educational experience.

Konstfack is a school with international character. It has exchange agreements with some 60 universities and colleges. Exchange students have the opportunity to interact and work with students from Sweden and 25 other countries. For more information about Konstfack, please visit their website. For students who wish to learn more about specific disciplines at Konstfack, please visit the Fine Art page, the Graphic Design + Illustration (GFI) page, the Industrial Design or Interior Architecture and Furniture Design pages, the Textile Design page and the Ceramics + Glass page. Note that for most departments, the language of instruction for undergraduate courses is Swedish. However, the lecturers will give you information and instructions in English and make sure that you can take part in the courses.

FALL COURSE OPTIONS

• Fine Art

  Fine Art Fall Modules (30ECTS/15 Credits)
  When you are admitted to Konstfack´s exchange program to the undergraduate/bachelor program at Fine Art you will be placed in the 2nd year of the program and follow their curriculum.

  As an exchange student, you can also choose from a number of elective courses. The breakdown of courses (or modules) is as follows:

  Modules in the course:

  • Individual Artistic Work 2 Autumn (15 ECTS credits)

  • Theory C (3 ECTS credits)

  • Elective Modules (1-12 ECTS credits)

  • Individual Artistic Project (1-12 ECTS credits)

• Graphic Design + Illustration (GFI)

  Graphic Design + Illustration (30ECTS/15 Credits)
  When you are admitted to Konstfack’s GFI exchange program in autumn you will be placed in the 3rd year of the bachelor program. Some courses in the 1st and/or 2nd year may also be offered. In this course catalogue you can see the course ranges for the current upcoming autumn and spring semester.

  GIK313 Graphic Design and Illustration 5: Visual Complexity

  • Module 1: My room: The archive 3, (3 ECTS credits)
    The student applies their knowledge in working critically and reflectively with references, sources of inspiration as well as historiography and theory of visual communication through their own artistic creative work.

  • Module 2: Professional Life 2, (7,5 ECTS credits)
    The student practices their ability to, together with other students, independently organize and implement a project in visual communication on behalf of an external party.

  • Module 3: Code!, (4,5 ECTS credits)
    The module introduces the student to contemporary digital ways of working through software, and to tools for working iteratively and process-based with programming to make their own art and design.

  • Module 4: Text–Image–Typography: Narrative Processes, (9 ECTS credits)
    In-depth studies of sequential storytelling, where the student independently formulates and creates both content and dramaturgical concepts, to identify, formulate and solve storytelling technical problems.

  • Module 5: Physidigital Life, (6 ECTS credits)
    The student examines the conditions for visual communication as a field of work in an increasingly digital world, through their own creative work.

• Industrial Design (ID)-Includes Internship

  Industrial Design (ID) (30 ECTS/15 Credits)
  When you are admitted to Konstfack´s exchange program at ID for the fall term you will be placed in the 3rd year of the Undergraduate/Bachelor program and follow their curriculum.

  Module 1: Internship, (6 ECTS credits)
  The module aims to offer the student knowledge about what it is like to work as an employed designer. The student will undertake an internship in collaboration with professional designers and will work in a professional context, and also learn about methods used by professional designers. The module ends with the student conducting a visual and verbal presentation of the placement.

  Module 2: Collaboration between different actors, (9 ECTS credits)
  The module aims to provide exercises in collaboration with different actors. This means identifying relevant collaborations and stakeholders for designers, as well as collaborating with other competences and making assessments as to which other parties, entities, knowledge and experiences that may be valuable to include in different types of processes. The student will reflect on their own contribution to the collaboration based on design as their own field of knowledge.

  Module 3: Independent Design Project (12 ECTS credits)
  The student will develop a design-driven project and will use several design methods, such as prototype development, sustainable material exploration, aspects of circular design, user studies and experiences in relevant contexts to learn about desirable opportunities. The student will create a well-articulated design proposal and critically reflect on this based on its possible impact on people, organisations, the environment and the economy.

  Module 4: In-depth study of a chosen design subject, (3 ECTS credits)
  Here the student will conduct an in-depth study of their chosen subject area, driven by sustainability, social or subject matter interests. The student will practice searching, filtering and analysing inspiration and information and refer to different kinds of sources. The student will presents their in- depth knowledge in a clear and creative way both verbally and in writing.

SPRING COURSE OPTIONS

• Fine Art

  Fine Art Spring Modules (30ECTS/15 Credits)
  When you are admitted to Konstfack´s exchange program to the undergraduate/bachelor program at Fine Art you will be placed in the 2nd year of the program and follow their curriculum.

  As an exchange student, you can also choose from a number of elective courses. The breakdown of courses (or modules) is as follows:

  Modules in the course:

  • Individual Artistic Work 2 Spring (15 ECTS credits)

  • Theory D (3,0 ECTS credits)

  • Elective Modules (1-12 ECTS credits)

  • Individual Artistic Project (1-12 ECTS credits)

• Graphic Design + Illustration (GFI)

  Graphic Design + Illustration (30ECTS/15 Credits)
  When you are admitted to Konstfack’s GFI exchange program in spring you will be placed in the 2nd year of the bachelor program. Some courses in the 1st and/or 2nd year may also be offered. In this course catalogue you can see the course ranges for the current upcoming autumn and spring semester.

  GIK212 Graphic Design and Illustration: Visual Worlds

  • Module 1: My Room: The Archive 2, (2,5 ECTS credits)
    The student deepens their knowledge in working with and critically relating to reference material, and is introduced to methods for working artistically with archives.

  • Module 2: Drawing 2: Drawing in the Archive, (1,5 ECTS credits)
    The student is introduced to drawing as a recording, observing and interpreting tool in a certain context.

  • Module 3: Elective Modules, (4,5 ECTS) credits Individual work in a certain area.

  • Module 4: Publication and Publishing 3: Spatially, (5 ECTS credits)
    The student is introduced to visual communication in spatial environments, for example in exhibitions, scenography, architecture, sign systems, supergraphics.

  • Module 5: Play!, (4,5 ECTS credits)
    The student is introduced to design and illustration in digital games, and the narrative conditions and limitations that are specific to digital games.

  • Module 6: Professional Life 1, (7,5 ECTS credits)
    The student collaborates with professional designers/illustrators or other relevant professional groups and gains insight into professional working methods and contexts through an internship period outside school.

  • Module 7: My Room: Reflection and Presentation 2, (1,5 ECTS credits)
    The student participates in graduation presentations on the bachelor's program Graphic Design and Illustration and the master's program Visual Communication.

  • Module 8: My Room: The Studio 2, (3 ECTS credits)
    The student deepens their practical knowledge in running professional activities in illustration and graphic design, and is introduced to economic, social and ecological sustainability.

• Industrial Design (ID)

  Industrial Design (ID) (30 ECTS/15 Credits)
  When you are admitted to Konstfack´s exchange program at ID for spring you will be placed in the 2nd year of the program and follow their curriculum and courses.

  • Module 1: Design for sustainable development - focus on biomimicry and design from nature, (9 ECTS credits) In this module, the student is introduced to the complexity of nature-inspired design methods and the reasons why they are critical for achieving ecological design solutions. The student develops and learns basic frameworks for nature-inspired sustainable design in relation to design ecology, a product’s life cycle, and biomimicry. Based on nature’s strategies, the student engages in exercises to develop design proposals inspired by nature by applying methods on three levels: form, process, and system. In addition, the student will develop the ability to engage in critical reflection and thinking, along with awareness about sustainable design. By means of iterative prototype development, the student generates ideas inspired by nature for the purpose of developing ecological design proposals.

  • Module 2: Design with an artistic focus, (9 ECTS credits) Practical and theoretical knowledge and skills are woven together here in the design process, with both aesthetic and semiotic concepts in focus. The module includes an exercise in distinguishing and applying concepts and an artistic, product-designed process. The student will engage in exercises to learn how to work in a collective process during the active formation of physical models, and also in an evaluation of the design process in relation to the results.

    Exercises are engaged in here to develop the student’s capability to discuss how intentions drive an exploration of form, space and materials. The student will also engage in exercises to systematically map out product areas and developing scenarios along with 2-D and3-D sketching/model building. The student is encouraged to develop a high degree of independence and collaborative skills.

  • Module 3: The designer’s professional contexts, (6 ECTS credits) A project is implemented with an organization, a company, or within a specific field of work for the purpose of offering the student insights into various different types of work that a designer performs, as well as forms of collaborations and stakeholders that a designer will encounter. This module introduces key concepts, methods, and techniques used in marketing, and the student develops both a design proposal and a marketing plan. The module also includes a basic orientation in various needs and possibilities for design in a global marketplace. In addition the student is introduced to various perspectives on the market, sustainability and community-at-large to gain an increased understanding of the role of design in society.

  • Module 4: Design in collaboration with students from another program at Konstfack, (3 ECTS credits) Students from Industrial Design, design proposals together with students from other programmes at Konstfack based on a theme designed to provide students from different programmes the opportunity to approach the task based on their respective knowledge, background and skills. The student offered training in the ability to interact and collaborate with other disciplines. They will also describe, analyse and interpret form, as well as critically reflect on their own and others’ artistic approach.

    Module 5: Specialization within visualization and communication, (3 ECTS credits) The student chooses a specialization ti immerse themselves in from one of the primary areas of visualization and communication: 2D, 3D, photographs or video. By means of the chosen specialization, the student will explore ways to visually communicate a selected project with relevance to the subject area.

Note: Exchange Programs first require an application through the Study Away Application Portal by March 1 for fall and October 1 for spring. Once you are nominated by your department, a second application to the university must be submitted. It is an honor to be nominated, so if you move forward with your application to the university, please know you are committing to study away!

ABOUT STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN:

Stockholm, Sweden's capital, is a stunning archipelago city known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and innovative design. Spread across 14 islands connected by over 50 bridges, it boasts picturesque waterfront views and charming neighborhoods. Highlights include the historic Gamla Stan (Old Town), the modern architecture of Sergels Torg, and renowned museums like the Vasa Museum and Moderna Museet. Stockholm is also celebrated for its commitment to sustainability, making it one of the greenest cities in the world. With a lively arts scene, excellent public transport, and a high quality of life, it offers a dynamic environment for residents and visitors alike.

Sweden has a rich design heritage, known for its minimalist and functional aesthetic. Students can explore iconic brands like IKEA and H&M, as well as boutique design studios that embody the spirit of Swedish design. The annual Stockholm Design Week and Stockholm Furniture Fair are must-attend events for networking and inspiration. Travelers to Stockholm might also be surprised to learn that it is the “startup capital of Europe”. Swedish companies have brought us Spotify, Candy Crush, Soundcloud, and many more tech companies and startups!

Finally, Stockholm boasts a high quality of life, with excellent public transportation, healthcare, and safety. The city’s layout makes it easy to explore, with many cultural hotspots within walking distance or a short metro ride away.

HOUSING

Konstfack offers housing in a dorm built exclusively for exchange students. The rooms are 20-22 square meters and are fully equipped with a kitchenette and a tiled bathroom. There are laundry facilities and storage rooms in the basement. However, space in this housing is limited and students must be accepted to the program in order to apply for housing here. Other options also exist off campus and can be explored through this page on Konstfack’s website.