English abstract

Our institute

Academy of Design and Crafts Münster,
department of the vocational education and professional training centre (HBZ) and the chamber of crafts and skilled trades (Handwerkskammer) in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

What we do mainly

We offer a general design study as a professional qualification based on the craftsmanship of our students.

Prerequisite – qualification before entering our design study

All of our students have already worked and learned for at least 2 or 3 years and got an apprenticeship/occupational certificate – for example as a joiner, a metal worker, a stonemason, a goldsmith, a dressmaker/tailor, an interior decorator etc.

Our level of education

It is a design study leading to certified further professional qualifications. The duration is 3 or 6 semesters fulltime. The two design qualification levels – mainly foussed on crafts, skilled trades and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – are called: "Gestalter im Handwerk" within 3 semesters and "Designer (HWK)" within 6 semesters.

The students have also the possibility to combine the 6 semesters design study with a Meister craftsman's examination, and so will get the title "Meister+Designer (HWK)". 

In the German education system the design study for craftsmen and craftswomen is situated besides polytechnical or applied science design studies of higher education. The competences/modules are usually acknowledged for higher education, if our graduates decide to apply for polytechnics or universities. We have been working on establishing a suitable co-operational definition of modules and credits to be realised in the medium term on a national and European level between several design schools.

Fields of work of our graduates

About 70% of our graduates work in SMEs in different sectors, especially in the crafts and skilled trades sector ("Handwerk"), as freelance or employed designers, interior designers, project managers or specialized craftsmen.
About 20% work as self-employed craftsmen or designers.
About 10% switched from crafts and design to other fields of work.

Age of our students

Mostly between 19 and about 27

Fields and subjects of the study

DESIGN – product and graphic design, design & technology, design & communication, design & marketing, design management for SMEs

Context and surrounding of the Academy

The Academy of Design and Crafts is part of the vocational education and professional training centre of the chamber of crafts and skilled trades in Münster called HBZ – "Handwerkskammer Bildungszentrum Münster".
It was founded more than 25 years ago in 1991.
Since 2013 the Academy is situated in the "Haus Kump", a former farmyard with court and garden areas near the HBZ at the south side of the lake Aa in Münster (link to Google Maps). 

Other activities of the Academy

Besides the educational work we also offer advice/consulting services in the field of design for crafts firms and SMEs.
We have been running research & development and partner projects within many European programmes.

Contact

Director 
Manfred Heilemann e-mail 

Design Services and Events
Jan Eisermann e-mail

Secretary
Gabi Beerhorst e-mail

Tel.: 0(049)251 705 1452
Fax: 0(049)251 705 1442

Hint for e-mail via webmailing

The e-mail addresses work like
forename.surname[at]hwk-muenster.de

Address

Akademie für Gestaltung
der Handwerkskammer Münster
HBZ | Haus Kump
Mecklenbecker Str. 252
D-48163 Muenster
Germany